Count Me In
by WickedGame
Summary: Who knew that something that was supposed to be pretend and temporary would turn out to feel so real and permanent? 1 2, RxH, other minor pairings. Yaoi and yuri.
1. Lovers Kept Under Covers

Title: Count Me In ch 1/11

Author: WickedGame

Category: Romance, a little drama and angst here and there.

Overall Rating: NC-17 or M

Overall Warnings: Yaoi, yuri, lemons, limes, foul language, and other things that may make you grin or retch. Fluff at some point I am sure.

Spoilers: None as far as I know unless you have not seen the series.

Main pairing: 1x2x1 (or 12 depending on comm or ML)

Background pairings: 34, RxH, mention of 5xS, past 1xR and 2xH.

Notes: Fic beta read by Adaina. Would also like to thank HostileCrayon, Danse, and Natea for all taking a look at it. Written for The Vault's Spring Fling Contest but the contest was cancelled.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or any of the characters within. This disclaimer applies to this and all future chapters. Chapter title belongs to Bonnie Raitt.

Summary: Who knew that something that was supposed to be temporary and pretend could turn out to feel so real and permanent?

Chapter One – Lovers Kept Under Covers

"Madison. Manson. Mapper. Mardsen. Massey. Maxwell, Duo. Maxwell… Hilde?" Duo had been in search of the Massey file, which he grabbed. Seeing his own file, along with a file on his wife of two years was an added bonus. His curiosity piqued, Duo grabbed Hilde's file and opened it. Papers, papers, and more papers. He was about to put it back when a pile of regulation-sized photos fell to the floor. Duo set the Massey file on the dusty floor as he started to pick up the photos. He sat down and started to flip idly through the photos until he saw a set of them that made him gasp. He never knew he could actually be this shocked.

They weren't what he expected. Not pictures of Hilde working or of he and Hilde doing various things. No, it could not be that innocent. Of course they were sensitive pictures that held sensitive information, they could not be anything else.

They were pictures of Hilde with the current Vice Foreign Minister of the United Earth Sphere. They were pictures of Hilde with the wife of his partner and best friend. Those people were one and the same.

They were pictures of Hilde Maxwell, his wife, with Relena Peacecraft-Yuy.

The first ones seemed innocent: a walk in the gardens at Relena's estate. Then there were ones of the two of them holding hands in a dark nightclub. But the ones after that had him shaking his head. They were taken through the unshielded window of a hotel suite in this very city. Relena was lying on a lush bed wearing only a small blue nightgown. Hilde was standing slightly to the side of her next to the bed wearing only her birthday suit. The following photos were only able to capture the two bodies entangled on the bed. The photographer must have stopped taking photos at that point, having gotten the information they were seeking.

Duo grabbed the Massey file and the photos and stood up.

"Hilde? And Relena?" Duo was almost speechless. He could not stop the mental images provided by his brain. He tucked the pictures into his jacket and left the room with the Massey file in hand. There was only one person he could talk to about this, and that person was the only one who really needed to know right now. They would get through this; they always got through whatever was thrown at them.

&&&

Heero Yuy looked up when Duo walked in the door, arching an eyebrow when it was closed and locked. Duo threw the file Heero knew he had been searching for on the desk, and then threw a pile of photos on Heero's desk. Then he plopped down in a chair and leaned back to watch.

Heero flipped through the pictures without expression or words. He almost looked like he had been expecting his wife to sleep with another woman. Like it was normal. But then again, Duo knew Heero was rarely surprised by anything. He always looked like that.

"Hilde and Relena are having an affair," Heero stated calmly. He knew he sounded cold, but he did not care at this point.

"Thank you Captain Oblivious, Master of the Obvious!" Duo threw his hands up in the air and started to pace like a caged tiger.

"For how long?" Heero asked softly, "Hilde only moved to Earth right before you married her. That was two years ago."

"It had to have been after that at least. They never had a chance to meet each other during the war. It wasn't until after, at that victory celebration thing that Relena and Hilde even met or laid eyes on each other," Duo still paced while trying to figure it out.

"We were fifteen then. Then there was that year before the Mariemaia incident. We joined Preventer's when we were seventeen. You and I went on that mission to L2 when we were twenty. Hilde came to Earth right after that. I had been married to Relena for a year by that point. You married Hilde soon after that," Heero paused to think, "About three months after your wedding we left for that extended mission on L1, remember? We told the girls to call each other if they got lonely, right?"

Duo looked at Heero in abject horror, "Shit! Maybe that long ago? Do ya think?"

"We have no real way to tell. Who took these pictures?" Heero looked at the back of the pictures for the signature code. Then he looked it up on the computer, "Hendrickson from surveillance. Come on," Heero picked up the pictures and motioned for Duo to follow him.

The surveillance manager pointed out the short and stocky man that could only be Hendrickson. His hair was the color of mud, and as the pilots approached Duo could see the man had eyes that matched.

Hendrickson's only job was to fish out threats and report them. That's why he was surprised as hell when Captains Yuy and Maxwell asked him to join them in the nearby conference room. He gulped when the door was closed and locked. Neither one of these agents were known to have much patience or much mercy when it came to incompetence, and he wondered what he had done to make them angry.

"Sit Hendrickson," Heero commanded, "We have a situation that we need more information on."

Hendrickson knew better than to disobey a direct order from a former gundam pilot. He sat down and waited for the questions. He nearly jumped when Captain Maxwell slammed a pile of photographs down in front of him. He recognized the pictures of course. Colonel Une had been curious as to what the Vice Foreign Minister was doing on her spare time. What he had found was that she was having a bit of fun with a good looking girl. When Hendrickson remembered that Relena Peacecraft-Yuy was married to the man leaning on the wall across from him he gulped again. Agent Yuy was only slightly more deadly than Agent Maxwell. He noticed that the pair of angry young men were waiting for him to begin his tale.

"I was asked to tail Mrs. Peacecraft-Yuy to determine what she was doing in her spare time. I do not know who the young lady in the pictures is, but Colonel Une assured me the girl is no threat to the Vice Foreign Minister. She seemed highly amused by the photos. They entered the hotel you see there separately and left the same way. I stopped taking pictures before they got too lewd, but they did go all the way. Who is the dark haired girl? Colonel Une never did tell me," Hendrickson looked like he was completely unaware of what he had just said.

"My. Wife!" Duo growled slowly and deliberately. Hendrickson paled considerably under Duo's wrathful gaze.

"Get out," Heero dismissed him. Hendrickson scurried out of the room like a rat, and Heero closed the door as he left. Heero stared patiently at the still-pacing Duo and then took out his phone. He dialed a number and waited.

"Nora. Heero here, let me speak with Relena please," a pause, then, "Relena. I wish to have dinner with the Maxwells at Narukami's tonight. Will seven be acceptable? All right then. No, I will make the reservations myself. See you later," Heero closed his phone and turned back to Duo.

"What was that about?" Duo asked.

"Confronting them on neutral ground," Heero told him before dialing another number and putting the phone to his ear, "Yes, I would like a table for four at seven o'clock this evening. Name? Heero Yuy. Yes, that Heero Yuy. All set then? Thanks."

"Amazing the weight that name carries now, huh?" Duo asked sympathetically.

"Call Hilde, tell her to meet us at the restaurant at seven," Heero ignored Duo's question and walked out of the room. Duo presumed he was walking back to their shared office and the work he had been doing prior to this upset.

Duo dialed the phone in his hand and put it to his ear, "Hilde babe? Meet me and the Yuy's at Narukami's at seven, okay? Yeah, love you too," Duo had never said words that felt more weighted. Did she still love him?

Heero looked up as Duo walked into the room and closed the door. Duo stared at his partner after he had plunked down in his office chair. Heero returned the stare for a bit before speaking.

"Are we going to stay with them?" he asked.

"We can show them the photos. Then we can ask if they're in love. If they are in love, well, that's it for me. I can't stay with someone who's in love with someone else. I don't think you can either. Is this our fault?" Duo asked, shaking his head slightly.

"We're gone a lot. They knew that when they married us. Men like us really have no room for women who are outside our profession. Look at Wufei: he and Sally have been living together for two years now and are working on their second child. They handle it fine. But then again, Sally has been a soldier for as long as we can remember. She understands the hours and all the baggage that comes with being an agent. Hilde and Relena needed us around and we couldn't be that for them. I don't think we have any right to be surprised or upset," Duo was amazed that Heero could even think in those terms.

"Sometimes you surprise me, Heero. When did you get so deep about relationships?"

"Duo, there's a lot you do not know about me," Heero smirked.

"I'm not upset, and that's the worst part. I should be upset, and I'm not! Maybe part of me knew it was too good to be true. Maybe part of me knew it would not last, I guess. I felt a little distance between us, but I just chalked it up to how much I've been away lately. So, what do we do, just step aside?" Duo leaned his head on one hand and blinked slowly.

"I don't know that it will be that easy. Relena is a very public person. If it came out that she was the one cheating, it would be very bad for her political position. The people do not like a cheater. She has a reputation to maintain. But you're right I can't be with her if she loves Hilde. But, if I were to fall out of love with her, public opinion would not waver. They would hate me and be sympathetic to Relena, insuring her position. I could care less what they think of me," Heero shrugged.

"Well," Heero could see the gears in Duo's head working, "What if Heero Yuy fell in love with his longtime partner and best friend?"

"What?"

"Well, Hilde would move in with Relena, and you would need a place to stay. Why don't you move in with me?" Duo asked.

"We could pretend to be having an affair. Hilde would leave to move in with Relena, and you could move in with me. I know you have never been big on the whole mansion way of living," Heero snorted in agreement, "And that way they can be together without anyone suspecting anything. Two women supporting each other after a devastating breakup would not attract much attention," Duo spelled it out, and Heero was impressed to find out that it made perfect sense for once.

"Are we seriously talking about losing our wives like it is some kind of mission?" Heero asked the braided man.

"Well, yes."

"I didn't know that being separated would come to us so easily," Heero pointed out.

"Neither did I," Duo's thoughts and feelings were sparring within him. His brain was telling him that he should be … something. Mad? Sad? Betrayed? Depressed? But his feelings were telling him that he was none of those things. His feelings were telling him that this was right, and that it had been a long time coming. He knew then that they were doing the right thing.

&&&

They told Quatre and Trowa about it, of course. The two fellow agents were further removed from field work than Heero and Duo, but they all still tried to have lunch together at least once a week. Quatre volunteered to go to Heero and Relena's estate while they were out to dinner so that he could gather a lot of Heero's personal belongings. Heero gave him the pass keys and a list of the things he would be needing. They agreed to meet up at the same hotel Hilde and Relena had used for their trysts at about ten o'clock that evening.

After a shower in the locker room of the HQ and a change into the nice clothing they both kept in their lockers for occasions such as this Heero and Duo climbed into Heero's SUV and sped towards their dinner destination.

The outside architecture of Narukami's resembled a traditional Shinto shrine that could still be found in ancient parts of what used to be the Far East. But the inside was a blend of eastern and western interior design influences with comfortable leather chairs and bamboo floors. Wooden fountains of every shape and size were scattered throughout the restaurant, lending a musical tinkling to the air, mixing with the soft music that was piped in through hidden speakers. Heero and Duo approached the sleek front counter and waited for the host to acknowledge them.

"Welcome to Narukami's, can I help you?" the portly man glanced negligently at them and fiddled with the reservation list in front of him. It could take months sometimes to get a reservation at this restaurant, but being the husband of the Vice Foreign Minister always carried some weight. It certainly had earlier in the day when Heero had made this reservation.

"Table for four at seven, name is Heero Yuy," Heero informed the man.

"Ah yes, Mr. Yuy! Follow Alisha over there, she will take you to your table," Alisha was a slim girl with nice hips. Her black skirt swished around her ankles as she walked in tall black heels. Duo winced in sympathy for her poor feet. Not that he had ever worn heels, but still, damn those shoes looked like they hurt!

Instead of sitting across from each other like they normally did, Heero and Duo sat next to each other. It would be best to give off the impression that they were already together when Hilde and Relena finally showed up. The cocktail waitress came by and they both ordered the same kind of Japanese beer. As they sipped the beer quietly they awaited the arrival of their soon-to-be ex wives.

When Heero saw Duo's eyes grow nervous he knew that at least Hilde had arrived. He turned around in his seat and saw that Relena had arrived with her. Both men stood and greeted their wives politely. Relena looked regal in her royal blue suit, and Hilde looked more than nice in a little red dress.

Things stayed relatively quiet during their courses of yellowfin and unagi. By the time they had finished the last of the sushi rolls Relena and Hilde had just about had enough of the silence.

"Well," Relena cleared her throat, "what's the special occasion?"

"We have something to tell you that you will not like at all," Duo told them softly so the patrons could not hear them, "and we needed neutral ground to avoid a scene."

Heero reached for Duo's hand and pretended like he could not hear Relena gasp and place her hand over her mouth, "Duo and I are having an affair. I'm going to move in with him. In exchange, we would appreciate it if Hilde could move in with you, Relena."

"How long has this been going on?" Hilde asked, her face a little red.

"About six months," Duo volunteered. He and Heero had never decided on a time frame, but it sounded right to Duo.

"Well, I just do not know what to say!" Relena was talking softly but passionately, "You cheated on me, Heero Yuy?"

"I'm sorry Relena. But we were always gone, always together, and sometimes things like these happen. I hope that we can find a way to all get along after this. I still love you Relena, and I always will in some way. But I'm following my feelings. I want to be with Duo," Heero kept his face straight throughout the entire speech, and Duo was amazed at the control.

Hilde's jaw kept opening and closing, like she could not figure out what to say. Finally Duo spoke for her, "I know, I know. I am not supposed to lie. But, I just couldn't find it in my heart to tell you. I want you to be happy, Hilde. And I don't think I can make you happy anymore. I'm sorry."

He was sorry. Duo was sorry he had not seen the truth sooner. Duo was sorry he could not make his marriage work. Duo was sorry Heero was having to go through this too. But he would not back down. This was for the best.

"I think we should go. Hilde, we'll be out of the house for the night, to give you time to get your things. Relena really does have a large mansion, there should be plenty of room for you there. Quatre is already taking care of getting my things. Please, Relena, have the lawyer draw up the divorce papers as soon as possible. Hilde, I would advise you to do the same thing," and with that Heero rose, helping Duo up like any dutiful boyfriend would. They left without a backwards glance, leaving Mrs. Peacecraft-Yuy with the exorbitant bill. Duo reasoned that it would help her alleviate some of her guilt.

&&&

Once the men had left the restaurant Relena and Hilde just stared at each other.

"What was that?" Hilde asked, confused.

"I think that our husbands just left us, and it was their faults," Relena frowned slightly. Something was off. What is was she did not know.

"They were the ones having an affair?" Hilde asked.

"Apparently. I have not been around enough to really think about anything Heero has been doing," Relena gave Hilde a fond smile and grabbed her hand, "But look at it this way, we can be together now, and we did not have to dirty our hands to do it."

"Yeah, we can be together. I'm going to live in your mansion! With you!" Hilde was all of a sudden excited. She had loved Duo at one time, but it was hard to love someone who was never around. Relena was her present and her future, and that future looked wide open.


	2. Who Needs A House Out In Hackensack?

Title: Count Me In ch 2/11

Author: WickedGame

Warnings: Yuri, shojo ai, lime (yuri lime) in this chapter. And foul language.

Notes: See first chapter for all warnings and disclaimers. This chapter was beta-ed by FantasyOrReality. (Thanks to Billy Joel for the chapter title).

Special note: A lot of people (and I mean, a lot!) did not enjoy the first chapter of this story. The prevailing opinion seems to be that Relena and Hilde got off to easily. Let me just say that you need to give the story a chance. The characters in this story are making snap and knee-jerk decisions without thinking everything through. And also, no one gets off too easily in this story. Thank you everyone who did review though.

Special Warning: This chapter does include a lime scene between Hilde and Relena as well as the backstory about their affair.

Chapter Two – Who Needs A House Out In Hackensack?

Heero and Duo stood outside the car they had taken to get to Narukami's and shoved their hands into their pockets. Duo spoke first.

"So, do we go to the hotel now?" Duo asked, inching up onto his tiptoes and then rocking back down. Heero thought that this repeated action made Duo look like an eager child. It was not annoying at all. It was rather endearing actually. Duo had many quirks that reminded Heero of a child. Duo had never been a child, he knew that now. Duo had been robbed of a childhood, just like the rest of them. Heero supposed that Duo had been trying to live a little bit of childhood at a time ever since the wars had ended. Duo had video games and board games of all shapes and sizes. Duo liked to play ball games of all sorts, and had even bragged about the Styrofoam dart guns he had modified to the extent that they could bruise an arm at twenty feet.

"Yes, I think that would be best," Heero agreed. The room they had asked Trowa and Quatre to reserve had two queen beds, thank goodness. While he was completely capable of pretending to be with Duo in public, he was not sure if sharing a bed with him would be such a good idea. He was not about to admit that he had become a sort of cuddler since he had been married. Heero Yuy would not admit to such things as cuddling. During the war, he had been… cold. The only people he ever let touch him without a fight were Relena, and then Duo. Duo would clap him on the shoulder, and the first time it happened it was all Heero could do not to take his arm off. Since then he had added even more casual touches to his accepted list. Relena had been the only one to touch him… intimately, from their first dance back in school to their wedding night. He remembered now how nervous he had been that night, even though he did not show it. Relena had been much more in control than he. She took the lead, and he had never had any complaints about their sex life.

Heero wondered now if he should be offended by the fact that Relena had chosen a woman over him; he had been a good lover, he knew that. Relena had never had any problem climaxing during intercourse in the time they had been together. He knew that it just may be that he left her alone too much. A garden will get out of hand if it left untended. He knew he was not solely to blame, but he did not hesitate to take responsibility for what he knew was partially his fault. A marriage, if not worked on, will fall apart just assuredly as a car would.

The hotel Relena and Hilde had used for their 'meetings' was one of the very best. They prided themselves on being discreet, especially with their more elite clientele. Sometimes though, the tabloids managed a way in. It was in this very hotel last year that Senator Lebowski had been caught with his pants around his ankles and a porn star on her knees in front of him. A rather nasty tabloid had broken that story. Heero was going to insure as best as he could that he and Duo were not discovered here. It would not do for the ball to be dropped this early. Heero did not want a media circus right away.

Duo whistled at the décor: marble floors, frescoed walls, glass elevators, and luxuriously appointed furniture were only some of the amenities of the lobby.

"Duo, you have been here before," Heero reminded him.

"Yeah, I have. But for some reason, I feel like a poor street rat like me has to whistle at the grander things," Duo smirked to cover up how uncomfortable he was here, "I wonder if Hilde did the same thing the first time they came here?"

"Don't brood. It's over and done with now. Let's go upstairs. Trowa and Quatre will already be up there," Trowa and Quatre had rented the room so that he and Duo's names would not appear on the register.

It was on the twentieth floor, and it was a corner room. The curtains were shut tight, and there was a 'Do Not Disturb' sign hanging on the doorknob. Heero knocked twice. Quatre opened the door, looking happy to see them.

"Hi you guys," he said as they swept past the doorway and into the room. Trowa was sitting in a leather chair with his jacket off and a glass of red wine in his hand.

Duo shook his head and laughed, "Man, I am going to call for something a little stronger."

"How did it go with the girls?" Quatre asked Heero as they sat down on a brown leather sofa.

"It went well. They're going to move in together tonight. I am going to take off early tomorrow to move my stuff around at Duo's house," Heero told him, and then accepted a glass of wine from Trowa.

"Merlot," Trowa told him.

Heero sniffed the glass and looked at the color, "Nice vintage."

Trowa murmured in agreement.

Duo plopped down in the only other available chair and toed off his shoes, "There's a bottle of whiskey with my name on it that is gonna be here soon."

Heero arched his eyebrow, wondering is whiskey was such a good thing right now.

Trowa set down his wine glass and gestured to Quatre, "We should probably go. See you at work tomorrow."

"See ya Tro, Kat," Duo gave them a mock salute.

"The keycards are on the kitchenette counter," Quatre told them with a jaunty wave.

"Well, Heero buddy, if you don't mind, I'm gonna watch some television," Duo found the remote and flicked on the television, quickly finding cartoons. Heero smirked, this was yet another one of Duo's childlike habits. If there were cartoons on he would find them, like a bloodhound of some sort.

"I'm going to go shower," Heero said as he turned on his heel. One of his overnight bags was sitting next to the bedroom door. He picked it up and took it into the bathroom. He locked the door, opened the clear shower door, and turned on the rain-like showerhead. He closed the door to let the shower heat up, and brought out his toiletries, boxer briefs, and pajamas. The room was quickly filling with steam, and he stepped into the hot water gladly.

A whole new chapter to his life; that's what this was. He had loved Relena, he truly had, but they had grown apart. She had her political functions, and he had Preventers. She had wanted him to work for her, but he had not felt comfortable working for his wife. He had been her bodyguard for some time before they actually started a relationship. He could not objectively guard his girlfriend and then his wife, so he knew he had made the right choice.

Heero used a two in one solution for his hair, and then quickly washed his body with unscented soap. His shower took all of five minutes. He wrapped himself in one of the hotel's white towels and waited for the fan to clear the steam. When it had, he combed his hair and completed other shower time absolutions.

Duo was happily sipping on a glass of whiskey neat when Heero emerged in his flannel pajama bottoms and white t-shirt.

"Want some?" he offered, holding up the bottle of amber liquid.

"No thank you," Heero sat down on the sofa and watched as some teenager with silver hair swung a big sword at some evil looking monsters, "What are you watching?"

"Some anime from long ago. Gotta love all these channels that show all this old stuff," Duo replied, "What time is it?"

"Now? About ten or so. I'm about to go to bed. Don't wake me when you come in the bedroom, all right?" Heero asked politely.

"I will be quiet as a mouse," Duo promised.

When Duo tripped over the runner in the hallway and slammed into the wall at one in the morning, Heero seriously questioned the decision to live with the American.

&&&

"Is that it?" Relena asked Hilde as the highly priced movers put a tall lamp into the moving truck.

"Yes," Hilde panted. She had carried a great deal of boxes this evening, not wanting the movers to do all the work.

"Well, let's go," Relena sighed. She had been quite shocked to see that all of Heero's belongings (not that he had all that many, he never was a pack rat) were already inside the garage here at the Maxwell's house. But Hilde was coming home with her now, and they could make love to each other every night, and wake up to each other every morning. It was something she had been dreaming of for so long now it seemed unreal. She loved Hilde, so very much. She had loved Heero too, but she had to admit that what once had been a brilliant flame had petered down to ashes quite some time ago.

Inside the silver limo (she often regarded the pink limo as a moment of sheer insanity), she and Hilde cuddled close, holding hands.

"I can't believe that this is happening to us," Hilde sighed, "Just a few hours ago we were both married women carrying on a secret affair. Now we're together, and it is still secret, but so much more accessible."

Hilde proved her point by moving her head so that she could lick the creamy skin on Relena's neck. Relena pushed the button that would raise the privacy screen between them and the driver.

"Hilde, do you really think - ," Relena stopped talking when Hilde slipped her hand up inside her skirt.

"How much time do we have until we reach the estate?" Hilde asked as she licked Relena's earlobe. Relena hissed, and Hilde slid her hand up so that she could toy with the tops of Relena's sheer and silky stockings, held up by blue garter belts.

"Twenty. Minutes." Relena panted as Hilde sucked the earlobe into her mouth and nibbled on it.

"Well then, that's plenty of time," Hilde purred, unbuttoning Relena's suit jacket. The blue linen parted easily, and Hilde unbuttoned the ivory silk blouse beneath. Relena's bra was the same shade of ivory, and held those perfectly creamy breasts that Hilde loved so much. She reached in and drew those breasts out over the top of the lacy bra. She used her thumbs to brush lightly over the pink nipples. They darkened and sharpened just as Relena let out a soft moan. Hilde repeated the action, and rubbed slow circles over the sensitive flesh. Relena unconsciously spread her legs slightly, as if to vent the heat that was gathering between her thighs.

"Hilde, damn!" Relena only ever really let go with Hilde anymore. She had begun to close up around Heero, when he was around anyway.

Hilde smiled at her lover, and then ducked her head to take Relena's left nipple into her mouth. She flicked it with her tongue and sucked it in whole, laving the nub with heat and wetness. Relena loved to have her nipples sucked and played with.

Relena closed her eyes and enjoyed Hilde's ministrations, relishing the feelings of having her lover there. It had come as some surprise to her when she had realized she was actually attracted to females. She had been too embarrassed to admit the feeling to Heero, or anyone else. She realized that when she had been younger, Dorothy Catalonia had been somewhat of a crush for her, even though she would never had owned up to it back then. But then, when she had finally admitted it to herself, Hilde had been there.

Heero and Duo had been away in the L4 cluster, investigating something having to do with illegal movements of gundamium alloy. They were going to be gone for two months that time. After a week of being alone, Relena had asked Hilde over for lunch. They had enjoyed themselves sipping wine and eating spinach salad with grilled salmon on top. Lunch had turned into an afternoon shopping trip, on a whim. Lunch turned into dinner at a quaint diner that had been shocked to have the Vice Foreign Minister as a patron. Dinner had turned into going back to Hilde's for a nightcap.

Before Relena's limo came around for her, she had already made plans with Hilde to go up to a cabin in the woods the next day. She needed a vacation anyway.

They had hiked the trails surrounding the cabin as soon as they arrived. They stripped down to bathing suits and climbed into the hot tub on the deck. They spent their first night there toasting marshmallows in the fireplace. The bodyguards all kept their distance, and Relena was very happy.

How they ended up in the same bed was a funny story. Hilde had gotten cold, plain and simple. The woods were very cool this time of year, and the cabin temperature had dropped rapidly. Hilde had knocked on her door, and Relena had told her to come in. Hilde had asked if she could sleep there, with her. Relena had lifted up the covers, and Hilde had jumped in. Once settled, she curled up against Relena and asked if they could cuddle. Relena had said nothing. She just drew Hilde closer to her and closed her eyes. But neither one of them could really sleep.

It was only a matter of time before they decided to break into the stash of alcohol the cabin held. Two hours later they were both drunk. Then they started a game of truth or dare.

Playing truth or dare while drunk is tantamount to opening yourself up to the most outrageous dares. When the truths and dares turned more and more personal, Hilde and Relena had both found themselves not only horny but damned near desperate. When Hilde asked Relena if she had ever kissed a girl, Relena truthfully answered no. When Hilde asked if Relena would like to, Hilde was knocked down flat by Relena's eagerness.

Their lovemaking that night had been needy and fast. In the morning they showered together, washing each other down with luxurious soaps and giggling like schoolgirls.

They spent the rest of their vacation like that, loving and laughing. That was the beginning of something special.

Three months later was when Hilde had confessed, as they laid together in a hotel room drunk on sex and each other, that she was in love with Relena. Relena had sniffed with emotion, and then said the words back.

Neither one of them had ever been raised to think that what they were doing was right. But they both knew, in their hearts, that their love was the type of love that transcended such things. They decided to keep it secret from their husbands because of Relena's public image. Hilde hated staying lovers that could not be acknowledged, but she knew that for peace's sake they needed to stay that way.

Relena buttoned her shirt and jacket quickly as they pulled into the Peacecraft estate's long driveway. By the time they stopped she was completely in control and poised. But when she and Hilde reached her bedroom they wasted no time, stripping each other down and making love like they never had before.


	3. Can You Finish What You Start?

Title: Count Me In ch 3/11

Author: WickedGame

Warnings: Foul language in this chapter.

Notes: See first chapter for all warnings and disclaimers. Chapter title is courtesy of Deana Carter. This chapter was beta-ed by FantasyOrReality.

Chapter Three – Can You Finish What You Start?

The phone rang in the hotel room at six in the morning. Duo groaned and rolled over, pushing the pillow over his head and holding it there in protest of the noise.

'Damn Heero and his early morning wake up calls!' Duo thought briefly before falling back asleep. He had forgotten that Heero liked to rise early every day. That was definitely going to take some time to get used to. When they were on a mission it was fine because Duo was always wired while they were on the road. Here though, Duo wanted his blissful sleep until seven-thirty, when he absolutely had to get up or risk being late.

Heero rose from his bed just as Duo started to groan and turn over. He smirked at the movements and sound. Duo never changed. Once the war was over and he was free to live life like he wanted Duo had embraced the sweet feeling of sleeping in with fervor. Heero had been an early riser as long as he could remember. Waiting until later to get up just was not in his make-up. He always liked sunrises better than sunsets anyway. He pulled on a pair of loose synthetic pants and a white tank top before also pulling on some cotton socks and a pair of running shoes. He went down to the hotel's fitness club on the mezzanine level and found an available treadmill to take his abuse.

While on the treadmill he thought about nothing but the running, calculating calorie burns and pulse rates without the help of the machine. He ran for thirty minutes before hopping off and finding a set of free weights. He used both free weights and weight machines to work his individual muscle groups until another forty-five minutes had passed. Then he enjoyed some fresh air while walking to the corner bakery. He was not one for the sugary donuts he knew Duo enjoyed (of which he bought a half-dozen), but he did enjoy their croissants that were filled with spinach, mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese. He could avoid the truth and say that it was healthy, but he knew he just enjoyed the taste of the melting cheese. He ordered two large coffees to go with their breakfast, and then paid before heading back to the hotel.

&&&

"Damn it, he's alone," a man in loose, black jeans and a green t-shirt lowered his telephoto lens after failing to capture a picture that could potentially net him thousands of credits. One of his sources had called from the very hotel he was standing across from telling him that Agent Yuy had gone through the lobby with a male wearing a long braid last night. Anyone with half a brain knew that the man with the braid was Duo Maxwell, Agent Yuy's partner and best friend. As to why the pair were seen in this hotel last night (and not in uniform to boot) no one could guess. But they sure as hell could speculate. And speculating was what the man in the jeans was doing.

He would bide his time until Agent Yuy came out of that hotel, with or without Agent Maxwell. After all, a story like this only came around about once a year.

&&&

Duo was still sleeping when Heero stepped back into the hotel room. Heero set the coffee and pastries on the counter and walked into the bedroom of the suite.

"Duo, wake up. I brought coffee and breakfast," Heero called from the doorway. He knew better than to go over and shake or otherwise physically try to wake Duo. A grumble from underneath the covers let him know that Duo was at least partially awake, so he walked back out to the kitchenette and opened his coffee. He was just taking his first bite of pastry when Duo came out of the bedroom.

"Mmm, I smell donuts!" Duo stretched up onto his tiptoes and reach behind him. He pulled the tie out of his hair and shook it loose.

Heero had seen Duo's hair down before, but not often. It never ceased to amaze him though. It was not just brown. It was this color that resembled toffee, but it was also sprinkled with highlights of russet, gold, and even some hints of rust. Sometimes Heero swore Duo's hair reminded him of leaves in fall. He thought it looked soft and fine to touch, even though he had never touched it. Duo had a brush in his hand and he began to run it through the strands quickly before gathering it and quickly re-braiding it.

"Two creams, one sweetener," Heero pushed the other cup towards Duo and handed him the bag full of donuts. They only had about twenty minutes or so until they had to leave.

"So, when do you think that we'll get the divorce papers?" Duo asked around a mouthful of deep-fried dough.

"Knowing Relena's lawyers, probably this afternoon," Heero noted as he sipped his coffee.

"The wheels of government move fast when they need to, eh?"

"No, more like Relena will want to have a good handle on things immediately so that she can keep it as quiet as possible," Heero corrected.

"You know, we'll need to tell Une about this. I don't like the woman very much, but she'll need to know about what's going to go on. People at work may start to act different," Duo contributed. It was something he had been thinking last night but had not voiced.

"I agree. We'll go see her as soon as we get in," Heero finished off his croissant and coffee, "I'm going to go hop in the shower for a minute. Be ready to go when I get out."

"Okay," Duo's mouth was full of something covered in chocolate as he spoke, and Heero rolled his eyes before making his way down the hall.

&&&

It was while they were in Heero's car a bit later that something occurred to Duo, "Hey Heero? You know, we may have a bit of a problem."

"What problem?"

"You do know that we'll not be able to avoid going out in public, right? Eventually we'll have to, you know, show some kind of public affection to keep this up," Duo was now blushing a little, and Heero's hands were tightened on the steering wheel.

"I didn't think of that," Heero admitted.

"Yeah. We're gonna to have to do something about that," Duo sighed.

"Though not yet," Heero pointed out.

"Not yet, but we'll have to do something about it soon," Duo rubbed his eyes and all of a sudden felt really tired.

When they got inside the office they headed straight up to Une's office.

"Agent Yuy, Agent Maxwell, what can I do for you?" Anthony was Une's secretary. Everyone knew that Anthony wielded a lot of power in this agency. Une trusted him implicitly.

"We need to see Une," Duo told him with a smile.

"I'll see if she has time to see you right now," Anthony sat back down and flipped open a planner.

"Anthony, it's important," Heero told the man. Anthony was yet another one of those people that could not last long whenever Agent Yuy asked for something. Anthony pushed a button and picked up a phone.

"Commander? Agents Yuy and Maxwell to see you," Anthony paused for a minute, "Yes ma'am."

Anthony nodded to the agents and they walked towards the double doors that led to their boss. The doors opened of their own accord and the pair stepped through them.

Une sat behind her mahogany desk, writing furiously onto a tablet with a stylus. She set the stylus down and glared at them from under her glasses, "What?"

"We have a situation you need to be apprised of," Heero told her.

"What now?"

"Well, we found out about Hilde and Relena…" Duo started to outline what had happened the night before and their plan for the immediate future.

"So, the two of you are going to pretend to be in love for the time being, so that Relena's image can be protected and so she and Hilde can be happy together, correct?" the pair of them nodded, and Une started laughing harder than they had ever seen her laugh.

"What?" Heero asked roughly.

"The two of you amaze me, that's all. Go back to work," Une was still chuckling as they left her and Anthony behind.

&&&

Relena looked at the papers in front of her with the same expression Hilde had on her face: it was a combination of sadness, regret, and relief.

"Relena, it would be best if you signed them now, so that we can get them to your husband before five," Mr. Thompson told his client. In all his years as Relena's lawyer he had never thought it would come to this. They had seemed content in their marriage. He knew from discussions with Mrs. Maxwell's lawyer that he thought the same thing about his client. Neither of them could have foreseen the two women's husbands having a love affair.

The two lawyers watched as the women signed the sheets of paper in various places, initialed where needed and full names where noted. After a few minutes the papers were finished and the lawyers filed them away in their briefcases.

"When the papers have been signed by your husbands we will send you copies," Mr. Thompson told the pair of women. The two lawyers left the women alone in the Peacecraft estate and headed back to their own offices in separate limos.

The assets had not been much in the case of Maxwell vs. Maxwell. Hilde had run her own business on the side, and she just requested that the money Duo made and the money she made be kept separate. He could keep their house and their car. She had everything else she needed, and Relena could buy Hilde whatever else she wanted. The dissolution and division of assets was uncomplicated.

There was a considerable amount of asset division concerning Peacecraft-Yuy vs. Yuy. While Heero did not have a ton of assets himself he did have a monthly allowance for being the husband of the Vice Foreign Minister. Relena wanted to put a stop to that and instead wanted to put away about one million credits for him in a separate account to provide for him. She would retain ownership of the Peacecraft estate and everything going along with it, and she also allowed for Heero to be able to call upon her fleet of drivers and all vehicles whenever he wanted without having ownership of any of them. She was just doing that to be nice. Heero had everything that mattered anything to him with him at Duo's now, after all.

&&&

Duo was summoned downstairs just before five in the evening. There was an irritated looking man standing in front of the receptionist's desk holding a sheaf of papers.

"Agent Maxwell?" the man queried.

"Yeah, whatcha want?" Duo asked, leaning against the desk and giving the receptionist a wink. He had a feeling he knew why the man was here and another feeling that he knew what those papers were, but he held his tongue and waited for the man to say what he needed to say.

"You have been served," the man said. He handed Duo the papers, turned on his heel and left. The receptionist looked at Duo curiously.

"I'll buy ya a pony if you keep quiet about this," Duo teased. The woman only laughed gently and went back to answering the phones.

Duo walked back upstairs and sat down at his desk. As he expected, these were the papers that would end his marriage. Hilde had already signed where she needed to. All he needed to do was sign where he was supposed to and then give them back. He didn't even think twice. He signed where he was supposed to and packed the papers into a large manila envelope. He would ask Heero for the address when he got home.

Now there was a thought. Home. He had shared that home with Hilde for some time, even though it had always been more Hilde's home than his. Now he was going to share it with his best friend while trying to maintain a façade of being a couple. It was something that both filled him with apprehension and filled him with curiosity. He had been best friends and partners with Heero for a very long time. It seemed as though they had known each other forever, even though they had only met when they were fifteen. But he guessed that being through so much with one person could simulate that feeling of closeness.

He had spent time with Heero outside of work before, of course. They had tried fishing together while on Earth, and they both found it too boring. Duo contemplated blowing up the fish instead of sitting there waiting for one to bite. Heero had found that to be hilarious, or as hilarious as Heero could find something to be at any rate. They had played pool more than once, but Heero kept hitting the balls too hard. They had finally settled on playing cards every once and awhile and playing basketball like they did during the war. But there was one side of Heero that Duo had never seen, and that was the domestic side.

Duo found himself wondering if Heero could cook, or even what he would cook. He wondered if Heero left towels on the floor (he thought not), or what kind of shampoo he used (probably whatever was on sale). He wondered if Heero liked to watch television at all or if he liked to read the newspaper on Sunday morning. He was curious about a lot of things, and he had no real idea why. Living with Heero was going to be a unique experience, to say the least.

What was going to be even more interesting was the fact that Duo knew they were going to have to do something about the affection between them. A couple was expected to be affectionate occasionally after all. Heero had avoided the subject that morning and now Duo wondered what Heero was going to say when he told him that he thought it would be beneficial to their mission to actually practice kissing, hugging, and holding each other?

Not that it bothered him all that much. A set of lips was a set of lips no matter whom they belonged to. But he had no clue how Heero was going to react to the idea of kissing another male. Duo reasoned that he could just tell Heero to close his eyes and pretend that he was a female. Not like it mattered. As soon as the press moved onto some other pet project they would be free to go back to being just friends and partners. That was the way things would be.

&&&

Heero looked at the guest room inside of Duo and Hilde's – scratch that – his and Duo's house. Hilde was now living with Relena, and he was stuck pretending to be involved with his best friend. The walls in this room were a respectable shade of dark blue with the crown molding painted a neutral shade of cream. All the furniture in the room was a whitewashed wood, and the door was whitewashed the same way from the inside. The floors were a medium shade of walnut wood, and cream-colored throw rugs were sprinkled across the floor to add warmth. The whitewashed closet door was covered almost entirely with a simple mirror. The draperies and the duvet cover were both made of richly patterned blue brocade, and Heero could see the sheets underneath the duvet cover were simple cream-colored cotton.

The room could suit almost anyone, including himself. He decided it would do for now. He opened the drawers to the bureau and started to put his clothing away. He did not own all that much and it was all easy to put away in the bureau or to hang in the closet. He placed a few photos in frames on top of the bureau, and another couple on the nightstand with his alarm clock. He placed his service revolver in the nightstand with his personal weapon, and stuck a knife under one of the pillows.

Heero was just about to go and start putting his toiletries away in the one bathroom when the doorbell rang. He walked down the hall and to the front door, looking through the living room window first to see who might be there. It was a man, looking slightly nervous as he held a small stack of papers. Heero unlocked the door and opened it.

"Can I help you?" Heero asked gruffly.

"Are you Agent Heero Yuy?" the man asked, looking at the sheet in front of him.

"Yes."

"You've been served," the man said as he handed Heero the papers. Heero watched the man walk away and then he closed the door. He walked over to Duo's pine dining table and sat down. Divorce papers. He knew they would be coming quickly. Relena's signature and initials were already apparent on the documents. He added his own name where needed and sealed the papers in a large manila envelope he found in the small office. It was obvious that Hilde had used this room the most. He would change some things in here and make it habitable. He wrote the address of the Peacecraft Estate on the front of the envelope and set it aside. No doubt Duo had gotten his papers too. It would save time to just send them both at once.

Heero went back to what he had been doing before he was interrupted, and waited for Duo to come home from work.


	4. Won't Change The World

Title: Count Me In ch 4/11

Author: WickedGame

Warnings: Very light lime of the yaoi kind.

See chapter one for full disclaimers and warnings.

Notes: Beta-ed by FantasyOrReality. Chapter title courtesy of Jill Sobule.

Chapter Four – Won't Change The World

Heero was cooking as Duo walked in the door from work.

"So, you do know how to cook!" Duo exclaimed as he walked back to his bedroom.

"Not a lot of things, but I do know how to cook some," Heero replied. Duo came out of his bedroom a moment later wearing worn jeans and a deep plum colored t-shirt.

"Can I help?" Duo asked, coming over to the wrap-around counter.

"Just about done actually," Heero told him as he started to toss whatever was in the pan. The smell of garlic hit Duo's nose and he inhaled gratefully.

"I swear there is no better smell than garlic," Duo commented.

"I highly doubt that. It smells good, but there's probably something that smells better," Heero commented as he opened a cupboard or two until he found the plates. He used tongs to take the pasta out of the pan and arrange it on the plates. Duo's stomach grumbled as he took a plate. Duo sat down at the dining room table. Heero grabbed two beers out of the fridge and joined him. Duo took a bite of the pasta, then another, and looked at Heero with surprise in his eyes.

"What's this?" he asked, "It's delicious."

"You think pork rinds are delicious," Heero snorted. Duo laughed.

"No, really," Duo assured him, "I want to know what it is."

"The cook at Relena's taught me to make it. It's really not all that good for you, but I haven't gone grocery shopping yet. This is chicken that I sautéed in butter, added garlic, white onion, basil, lemon juice, and white wine. Toss together until the sauce has thickened a little, and then toss with pasta and parmesan cheese," Heero told Duo, and Duo wrinkled his nose, "What?"

"You're even perfect at cooking," Duo complained even as he shoveled more pasta into his mouth. Heero only smirked and continued to eat his dinner, casting amused looks at Duo every once and awhile.

&&&

They were sitting on the couch sometime later (after the fight over the dishes) when Duo thought he should bring up the problem of trying to look like a couple in public again.

"Heero?"

Heero looked away from the program they had been watching to see Duo, "What?"

"You know, once the press latches onto this story we'll be obligated to act like a couple in public. You know, hold hands, hug, kiss, all the normal couples stuff," Duo paused.

"I do know what couples do. I thought we discussed this earlier," Heero reminded him.

"By discussing it do you mean how you blew me off earlier? Did it occur to you that we'll need to actually practice that sort of stuff?" Duo wondered out loud.

"What do you mean?" Heero asked, not sure if he really wanted to know the answer.

"We need to practice kissing. It has to look natural. It has to look like we have been doing it for months," Duo grimaced.

"Oh," Heero turned off the television and turned to Duo. He summoned all the nonchalance he had within in him and said, "Kiss me then."

"What?"

"You heard me. Kiss me, Maxwell. Lips are lips no matter who they belong to. You can pretend I'm someone else if it helps," Heero said with a poker face. Duo could not really tell what the man's feelings were on the issue.

"Anything for the mission, eh?" Duo asked nervously as he ran a hand through his bangs.

"If you don't want to kiss me then I'll kiss you instead," Heero emphasized. Duo shrugged as if to say 'why the heck not' and then moved forward so that he and Heero's thighs were touching. He reached a hand up and placed it on Heero's slightly rough cheek, and Heero recoiled just a little.

"What are you doing?" Heero asked.

"Kissing you," Duo gave Heero a pointed look, "Remember, the mission?"

"Why did you put your hand on my cheek?" Heero asked, curious. Relena had never put her hands on him outside of the bedroom.

"Because I never kiss someone without touching them. Didn't she ever touch you?" Duo asked but got no answer to his question.

"Try again," Heero got back into position, and Duo placed his warm hand back on Heero's cheek. Slowly Duo moved his face forward until his lips were a hairsbreadth from Heero's. Both sets of eyes drifted shut as the lips closed the last millimeter, two pairs of soft lips meeting together in a sweet and simple kiss. Duo held the kiss for three seconds and then moved away. His eyes fluttered open at the same time as Heero's.

"Well? Now you kiss me," Duo gestured with his hands as he settled back into a pose similar to Heero's. He was not trying to think about kissing his best friend. He was trying to think of kissing his mission partner for the sake of the mission because thinking of anything else seemed dangerous at this point. Sometimes he wished he shared Heero's capacity to block out everything else but the mission because right now he was trying not to think about how he didn't have to picture a woman when he was kissing Heero.

Heero frowned slightly as he contemplated Duo's mouth and how to kiss it. Duo's lips were a deep pink, and the lower lip was slightly fuller than the top one. Duo had something Relena did not, and that was one of those mouths that was shaped just like a bow. Duo's nose was appropriately spaced from his top lip, and it was just the slightest bit upturned –

"What the heck are you waiting for?" Duo asked impatiently. Heero was taking a long time studying his face, and Duo was not comfortable under such inspection.

"I'm contemplating the best way to go about this," Heero told him. He seemed satisfied with his inspection and moved forward with his eyes closed. He touched Duo's lips briefly with his own and moved back almost immediately. It was a peck, but that was a lot for a man who did not get kissed much outside the bedroom while he was married.

"That was a good start. We'll need to work on that more. Now, how do you feel about holding hands?" Duo asked, holding his slim-fingered hand out to Heero.

"You could play piano with those fingers," Heero commented while looking at Duo's hand, "Or maybe guitar."

"I do play guitar. A little bit anyways. I want to learn more. I actually have been teaching myself for a couple of years now, but only Hilde has ever heard me play," Duo explained.

"You'll have to let me hear you play sometime," Heero commented as he held out his own hand. Duo took his hand and then intertwined their fingers, mixing two callused and bronzed hands together. Heero's hands were bronzed courtesy of his heritage; Duo's were tanned due to the sunshine he enjoyed on his days off.

Duo looked at their hands together and thought that the look of them together was not familiar, but it was not weird. He had clasped hands with Heero before during missions. It was only sitting here in silence that was unfamiliar.

"I suppose we need to practice hugging as well?" Heero guessed as he released Duo's hand.

"Yeah," Duo agreed. Heero put his arms around Duo's shoulders and Duo placed his arms around Heero's waist. The moved close until they could close their arms around each other, and Duo hugged Heero to him. Heero was stiff at first, but then he relaxed. After a few moments they parted, and Duo stood up.

"What now?" Heero asked.

"If we're standing together in public we need to know how to stand together," Duo explained.

"Just how far are we going to take this?" Heero asked.

"Look, do you want this to work or not? Which one of us is taller?" Duo asked.

"You are," Heero told his friend.

"Then stand in front of me, with your back to me," Duo instructed him.

"Why?"

"Just do it," Duo growled. Heero stood and did as he was told. Duo moved in behind him and wrapped his arms around Heero's waist, "I used to stand like this with Hilde sometimes."

Heero felt Duo move in closer, resting those slim hands on his stomach. Duo bent slightly down and rested his head on Heero's shoulder, the dark brown locks tickling his nose.

"See? Is this uncomfortable?" Duo asked.

"No, it isn't," Heero admitted. It actually felt good to be this close to someone. He didn't think it would be. He wriggled out of Duo's arms and moved over to an armchair, "We need rules."

"Rules?" Duo asked.

"I'm not good at dealing with public affection. Relena and I were not demonstrative in public. Maybe a kiss on the cheek occasionally, and some casual hand-holding. But other than that, we saved our affections for when we were in private. How demonstrative do we have to be?" Heero inquired.

"I think most of the time we'll have to play it by ear, do what we think is needed. Beyond that we'll need to at least be brushing up against each other a lot and probably touching each other a considerable bit. A kiss every once and awhile would not be amiss either. No pet names!" Duo insisted.

"Oh, come on, you know I've always wanted to call you 'pooky'," Heero joked.

"Since when did you grow a sense of humor?" Duo asked, shocked.

"I've always had a sense of humor; you were just too busy talking to notice," Heero told his friend, "Besides I'm not big on pet name either. The right thing to do would be to call each other by first names only from now on. So you shouldn't call me 'Yuy', and I will not call you 'Maxwell'," Heero suggested. Duo nodded in agreement.

"Well, Heero," Duo stretched, "I'm gonna go wash the stink off of me, and then I'm gonna hit the hay."

"I'm going to go to bed soon also. Goodnight Duo," Heero smirked as he said the name. Duo rolled his eyed and walked down the hall, leaving Heero to his thoughts.

&&&

One of the perks of being an early riser, Chloe Andersen thought, was that she could get to the courthouse first thing in the morning. She always got there to examine the public records long before her competitors did. Most of the time there was nothing there. But every once and a while she came across a stunner of a potential story. This was one of those mornings.

The previous day the papers for the dissolution of the two marriages of Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell had been filed. Chloe had no way of knowing this, of course. But when she coincidentally flirted with the clerk who had filed the paperwork when it was brought in she found herself suddenly in the presence of what was sure to be one of the biggest news stories of the year.

"These are legit?" she asked the clerk, her sky blue eyes narrowing and taking on a serious stare as she read the Peacecraft-Yuy divorce papers.

"Sure they are! A clerk came and filed them yesterday," the young man told her.

"Them?" she inquired with gleaming eyes.

"Yeah, he had another set of papers too. Let me see if I can find them," the tall clerk disappeared for only a minute before coming back with papers in hand, "Here they are. Maxwell vs. Maxwell."

"Well… That's not as nice as the Vice Foreign Minister getting divorced, but it is a start. Thanks, Jeff!" Chloe winked at the boy before she left. She could not take copies of the decrees with her, but she had the knowledge in her head. She was on her cell phone before she even left the courthouse.

&&&

Dorothy opened the door to Relena's office slowly, not wanting to interrupt whatever business she was conducting. She closed the door behind her and made her way to Relena's desk. Relena was staring into a cup of tea, not even aware of Dorothy's presence.

"Miss Relena?" Dorothy caught her employer's attention. Relena looked up and smiled.

"Yes?"

"We need to talk," Dorothy sat in a chair and smoothed the front of her tweed suit, "_The Times_ has been calling. They have gotten wind of the divorce, and they want a statement. They would prefer an interview."

"Well, we knew this was going to happen sooner or later. Next time they call patch them through. I will give them a short statement. Thank you for telling me," Relena sighed. Dorothy left the room silently.

Relena picked up the phone and dialed her private line. Hilde answered after two rings.

"Hello?"

"Hi Hilde," Relena smiled as she heard her lover's voice, "I am just calling to tell you that the press got wind of the divorce."

"It took them this long? I was sure they smelt news like it was blood," Hilde joked.

"Just tell them that you have no comment if they call. I will handle it," Relena told Hilde.

"Okay. What time will you be home?"

"Probably close to eight, love," Relena sighed.

"Okay. I will see you then. Love you."

"Love you too."

Relena hung up the phone briefly before picking it back up and dialing Heero's cell phone.

"Yuy," he said briefly.

"Hello Heero," Relena greeted her soon-to-be ex-husband.

"…Relena," he acknowledged her after a pause.

"Look, I wanted to let you know that the press has caught wind of the divorce. I will try to hold them off with a brief statement, but I am sure it will not work. I just wanted to prepare you," Relena told him.

"Thank you for the warning. How…are you doing?" he asked hesitantly.

"I am doing fine. How are you and Duo?" she inquired.

"We are fine. I have to go. Bye," Heero was never good on the phone. Relena set the receiver back down on the cradle and took another sip of her tea. Soon the phone rang again and she checked the ID. Walter Story, a reporter from the newspaper. Thank goodness he was one of the decent ones. She allowed her vid phone feed to open as she put on her politician's smile.

"Vice Foreign Minister, how nice to see you," Walter told her.

"Good morning Walter. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Relena asked innocently.

"My gopher was down at the courthouse this morning and she found some divorce papers with your name on them. Is it true that you and your husband are divorcing?" he asked. She could see that he was recording the call.

"Unfortunately, due to irreconcilable differences Heero and I have decided that divorce would be in our favor at this point," Relena conceded.

"Does this have anything to do with the additional filing of divorce between Duo Maxwell and Hilde Maxwell? I have a note here telling me that Mr. Maxwell is not only your husband's best friend, but also his partner within the Preventers Agency." Damn the guy was good.

Relena did not let her smile falter one bit as she answered, "The Maxwells are our friends and have been such for a very long time. Heero and Duo go back as far as Heero and myself do. I cannot answer as to the reason for their divorce, but I was aware of it," Relena cheered herself on inside.

"What do you say to rumors that your husband was seen at a local hotel very recently without you?"

"No comment. I have to go Mr. Story. It was very nice to talk to you," Relena cut off the vid feed quickly, not wanting to hear one more bit from the man. The press were like sharks, circling for the latest bit of news. She was not going to let them ruin her life, or the lives of her friends.


	5. Rumor Has It

Title: Count Me In ch 5/11

Author: WickedGame

Notes: See chapter 1 for all disclaimers. Chapter title courtesy Reba McEntire. Beta-ed by Adaina.

Warnings for this chapter: Foul language.

Chapter Five – Rumor Has It

Heero had no clue how to get rid of them. They were like circling vultures sitting outside Preventers HQ. They snapped pictures of he and Duo as they went inside (not holding hands at the time), and they were camped out waiting for the two of them to emerge. Luckily none of them could call their offices for comment. All press calls were being diverted to the Press Relations Office. The head of Press Relations was a man named Sammy Roja. Une let him know what was going on ahead of time. Sammy was to tell all press that Preventers had no comment regarding the personal lives of their agents. That was the truth.

There were other agents in front of the building now, trying to shoo the press away. Not that the news mongers were listening at all; they were too busy trying to get a statement from this or that agent, all promising air time if they talked. The agents wisely stayed silent. Une may have turned a leaf in terms of being compassionate, but she was not completely magnanimous. She would still punish anyone who talked out of turn about something they knew nothing about. Since very few agents knew Heero or Duo personally there was little doubt that any statements they gave would be false anyways. Duo was relieved for once that he did not make friends with every Tom, Dick, and Harry that walked these halls.

"We are going to need to order out for lunch it looks like," Heero opened a drawer and pulled out a stack of paper menus, "What do you feel like ordering?"

"How about deli sandwiches?" Duo asked.

Heero took the paper menu for the nearest deli out of his pile and placed the others back in the drawer. Soon he was dialing and ordering soup and a sandwich for Duo, and a sandwich and salad for himself. Duo walked to the soda machine and grabbed Heero a bottle of water while he grabbed himself something loaded with caffeine and sugar. About a half hour later there was a knock on their office door, and Duo opened it to find the delivery boy standing there.

"I have a meatball sub with provolone, a turkey and swiss on wheat, a cup of chicken noodle soup, and a small caesar salad?" the boy counted the things in the bags.

"How much?" Duo asked.

"Fifteen credits," the boys told him. Duo handed him a twenty and told him to keep the change. When the boy did not immediately leave Duo asked him if he could help the boy with something else.

"I was just wondering if you could tell me the reasons both of you divorced…"

Duo scowled and Heero called security. The men were there and taking the boy away in a flash. Duo threw his hands in the air as he sat down to unpack their lunch.

"Now they're harassing our delivery boys! This is too fucking much," Duo lamented as he unwrapped his meatball sub.

"Trust you to only get truly upset when food is at stake," Heero joked gruffly as he bit into his salad.

&&&

The phone on Heero's desk rang at about three. Heero checked the ID and was not surprised to find out it was Relena. He opened the vid feed to see her drawn face. She looked stressed out and tired.

"Relena," he greeted her.

"Heero," she replied.

"Why the phone call?" he asked her.

"I think that we may need to do more than just give a statement to these bottom feeders. I think it may be in our best interest to give a press conference at this point," Relena told him.

"You want Duo and I to come out into public with you and admit we are having an affair?" Heero inquired, more than a little angry at the situation.

"I think that maybe we need to just come out and say that we separated due to differences between us, and that we are both private citizens who deserve to be left alone," Relena explained.

"Then we should both release printed statements to that affect and leave it be. I have no desire to feed the evening news," Heero told her.

"Are you sure?" Relena queried.

"Positive. Goodbye," Heero cut off the vid feed and rubbed his eyes. He brought up his email and started to write a message to the local news bureaus:

_From: Agent Heero Yuy of Preventers Agency_

_To: Various news organizations that this reaches_

_Re: Press Statement_

_I am aware that many of you wish to know why Vice Foreign Minister Relena Peacecraft-Yuy and I have decided to divorce. We both entered into marriage willingly and we were in love. Over time we have discovered that we might be better off apart. Our careers have taken us in totally different directions and our relationship took a backseat. _

_Relena and I are both very private people and we are still both coming to terms with the dissolution of our marriage. We ask that you give us our space to grieve and to heal. We may both be public servants, but we are also private citizens and we deserve to be left alone. _

_Signed,_

_Heero Yuy_

Heero re-routed the email through the general email system Preventers used so that it could not be traced back to the terminal in his office. The last thing he wanted was the media getting a hold of his email address. Relena had that problem. Her business email was made public as a matter of record. The filters Heero had been forced to set up on her server to weed out all the crap had amazed even him. Relena had a team of people who sat in a room all day and went through every single email until they had stuff that was suitable for Dorothy to read. Dorothy then read them and if she found the email worthy she forwarded it to Relena's real email address. By the time it was over very few emails even reached Relena.

Duo walked in just as Heero was closing his laptop, "Hey buddy, what's the latest?"

"I am trying to buy a little more time for us. I sent the news bureaus a very sympathy-inducing email. Relena is going to do the same. Hopefully it will get them off our backs for a few days," Heero stood and walked out the door. Duo went back to studying the security schematics for the case he and Heero were working on. They were leaving on Monday and would be returning on Thursday. It was basic recon work. They were going to stakeout a factory that was alleged to be shipping illegal armaments. They also needed photos of the operations, hence why Duo was studying their security specs. He prided himself on being number one when it came to this kind of recon.

Heero came back into the room a few minutes later and sat down. Duo looked up and smiled at his partner, "Hey Heero? You wanna chance it and get something to eat tonight? Maybe try playing pool again?"

Heero briefly remember that he had made the eight ball fly off the table from hitting the cue ball too hard. But he refused to stay a prisoner until this all blew over, "Acceptable, as long as you show me how to not make the eight ball fly again."

&&&

At seven in the evening the pair of them were out the door and driving downtown. There was this little Mexican hole-in-the-wall that served the best chili verde Duo had ever tasted. Heero liked their enchiladas. They ordered a couple of beers and sat down next to a print of some folk painting.

"Did you see anyone?" Duo asked, knowing Heero would be the one to figure out if the press was trailing them.

"Not yet," Heero assured him, his voice low in the buzz of the restaurant.

"I wonder how long this is going to last," Duo mused, then he laughed, "Can you imagine if they caught something completely innocent and twisted that into news that you and I are sleeping together?"

"That's the story we concocted Duo. If they make that conjecture then we'll just have to deal with that. Why borrow trouble though?" Heero asked as their plates were sat down in front of them.

Dinner conversation was mostly silent, broken more often by Duo than by Heero. They paid their bill and drove to the pool hall nearby. They rented a table in a corner and set up their game.

It was apparent after the break that Heero was still hitting the cue ball too hard. He scowled as a striped ball hopped the table and ended up on the floor. Duo picked it up and put it back in place.

"Softer, Heero," Duo reminded him.

"Well then get over here and show me how to do it, damn it!" Heero hissed. Duo laughed and moved behind Heero.

"When you move the cue, you need to move fluidly, and with follow through. It's not about the strength of your shot. It's all about the angle and the place you hit the ball," Duo drew Heero's right arm back and then helped him move it forward at the right velocity. The cue ball hit the same striped ball that had hopped the table. It sailed into the side pocket and Duo smiled.

"It's all about physics Heero, and you rock at that!" Duo assured him. Heero tried another shot and realized that what Duo had taught him had really helped. He smiled at his friend and was rewarded with Duo faking a heart attack. They laughed together and then Duo threw an arm around his shoulders.

It would have really benefited the pair to remember that reporters are not the only people who carry cameras.

&&&

Duo unlocked the door and they walked into their house. The machine held a message from Quatre, who wanted to know how things were going. Duo promised he would call the blonde the next day. Heero decided to go and shower before bed.

"Goodnight Heero," Duo called out from the sofa.

"Goodnight," Heero returned the sentiment as he entered the bathroom.

Duo turned on the television and became engrossed in some Japanese game show. It was hilarious really, even though he could only understand a smattering of what they said. He settled back into the couch and relaxed, rolling his head around on his neck to ease the sore muscles there.

Heero took his time in the bathroom, shaving his face before taking a long, hot shower. He walked to his bedroom with his cotton towel around his waist. He pulled on some boxer briefs and pajama bottoms before going back to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

"Duo? We need more toothpaste…" Heero stopped talking when he realized that Duo had fallen asleep watching a game show. The remote was still in his hand and there was a trail of drool escaping one side of his mouth. Heero smirked. The fool should have gone straight to bed. Heero picked Duo up easily. He knew he could just leave Duo on the couch, but then Duo would complain about his back hurting from sleeping on the couch. Heero walked into Duo's room and laid the pilot down on the bed. He removed Duo's boots and pulled a blanket over the mumbling body. Duo curled into the fetal position and fell silent once more.

It amazed Heero that Duo had this kind of effect on people, or even just on him. Duo was not someone who opened up to people on a whim. But when he did open up to you he really opened up and trusted you. When you grow up not being trusted with anything but killing and maiming the trust of a friend and companion is a rare and stunning thing. Heero had never been one to take their relationship for granted. He trusted Duo just as Duo trusted him. Heero thought that was one of the many reasons he worked so well with Duo. No one had that kind of rapport with him. No one else could make him talk like Duo could, and no one else could have ever gotten away with being nestled against him like Duo was in the pool hall without having a gun pressed to their temple.

No matter how much Heero had loved Relena, he had never been able to fully trust her. She had her own agenda. It was not that he begrudged her that; but it did lend itself to questions and wanting to know about motives and various other things. There were people Relena trusted that Heero would not give the time of day to. But that was Relena, and maybe that is why their relationship would not have worked in the long run.

When they had married Heero had thought nothing about his own happiness. He had only been thinking about the peace and how best to maintain it. Since he had been the one who had ended up saving the world and Relena was the figurehead of the whole movement, it seemed natural to get together.

Relena had been in love with him enough to press the issue, and he had let himself be pressed. Until Relena came along he had never even contemplated sexual attraction or emotional bonds. He had been attracted enough to Relena to make sexual intercourse pleasurable for them both, and he had loved her spirit and ideals enough to form a bond with her. He had thought that was all he needed.

Now he was beginning to think it might be nice to have something for himself, or someone for himself. When he had time maybe he would sit down and start listing the things he found desirable. He would hash it out on paper and in his head. Then, when he could, he would start trying to make a life that involved some kind of happiness for him.

Heero fell asleep that night with the pleasant feeling one comes by when they have managed to work through something important. It was not long before he was fast asleep.

&&&

While Duo was in the shower the next morning Heero switched on the television and turned on the news. What he saw made him sit down fast and hard.

"These pictures were taken last night by a private citizen with the use of a camera phone. They are a little blurry, but you can plainly see former Gundam pilots and current Preventer Agents Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell in a close embrace as they play pool downtown…"

The news reports rehashed who Duo and Heero were, as well as whom Hilde and Relena were. The news had come to the conclusion that Duo and Heero had divorced their wives to be together. And while that was the goal, Heero was still shocked to see it right up there on the screen for everyone to see. They sure would have to start looking a little more demonstrative now, wouldn't they?

Even more disconcerting were the photos they were showing. To the average eye it looked like Duo was embracing Heero closely from behind, like a lover would. Heero's ass was firmly planted against Duo's groin, and Duo's slim arms slid over Heero's toned ones. They looked like lovers.

Most of all, it shocked Heero to realize that they looked good together. Really good.

"Hey Heero, we're out of… Oh shit," Duo stopped behind the couch, staring vacantly at the pictures on the screen. His face turned red as he looked at the pictures and he turned around to make the flush go away.

"I hope all those lessons the other night are enough to keep up this charade until they find something else to do," Heero said roughly.

"Me too."


	6. The Spaces Safe Between Intents

Title: Count Me In ch 6/11

Author: WickedGame

Notes: See chapter 1 for all disclaimers. Beta-ed by Adaina.

Warnings for this chapter: Foul language.

Disclaimer: Chapter title courtesy of Toad the Wet Sprocket.

Chapter Six – The Spaces Safe Between Intents

The catcalls started as soon as they walked into the office. Even though Une had sent out an email that morning forbidding anyone to say anything to the press or to Heero and Duo, there were always a few people who would comment. They would hide as they did it, of course, but they would comment.

"Lookin' good Maxwell!" someone shouted from behind some cubicles. Duo flushed slightly as his hand tightened on Heero's.

"Never thought you were a bottom boy, Yuy!" someone else yelled. Heero growled and nearly broke Duo's fingers.

"Heero! Damn, my hand babe!" Duo hissed.

"Sorry," Heero said lowly as he relaxed his grip.

"I don't know. I don't think you would always be the bottom boy. I think you would switch," Duo contemplated.

"Are we actually contemplating this?" Heero growled.

"I guess not," Duo winced as he took his words back.

As soon as they got into the office they got emails calling them into Une's office. Once there they took a seat and Une fixed them with a glare.

"You are causing chaos and disruption. Go home until this all blows over," Duo went to open his mouth but Une addressed his unspoken issue, "with pay. I can't every well punish you because you are trying to keep the peace."

"Thank you," Duo said gratefully. Heero was not so pleased.

"I have an open case. We are due to head out Monday for recon work," Heero pointed out.

"I'll give it to Barton and Winner. They can either do it themselves or delegate. That will be all gentlemen," Une dismissed the pair, and they left the office amid more catcalls and lewd comments.

The private entrance and exit was thankfully empty. They left the place without incident and started to go back to their home.

&&&

"Relena, did you see this?" Hilde asked as she walked into Relena's office. She put down the newspaper with the photos of Heero and Duo.

"I have seen it on the news already," Relena sighed, "They should have been more careful. The press has been harassing me all morning. Dorothy is going crazy."

"I bet she is. I think I'll stay here and help out. If I go into work then the press will only track me down. I'll give my employees the rest of the week off," Hilde walked out the door to use the phone.

Relena could hardly blame her. Hilde did not have the staff that she did. She would be harassed endlessly at her scrap yard.

Relena switched on the television and looked again at the hazy photo of her ex-husband and Duo. The two looked like they fit together. Heero had never been comfortable with her being too close to him in public. And Duo had never looked like he was having so much fun. Relena hated to admit it, but the two looked like they were the perfect lovers, just like she and Hilde.

"I guess we just both ended up with the wrong person, Heero," Relena sighed and went back to her mountain of paperwork.

&&&

The vidphone beeped in the office at Duo's house. Heero walked over to answer it, seeing that the ID was Relena Peacecraft.

"Hello Relena," Heero said simply as he opened the vid feed. Relena looked well, and he told her so.

"You look well also. I have seen the photos, Heero. I think that the four of us need to sit down and talk. Dinner maybe? Here at the estate?" Relena asked.

"Let me ask Duo. Can I give you a call back?" Heero asked.

"I'll tell Dorothy to let your call through. Goodbye Heero," Relena nodded and released the call.

Heero went upstairs. Duo was taking a nap.

"Duo?" Heero asked.

"Yeah?" Duo asked, his voice sounding muffled by a large pillow.

"Relena wants us to come to the estate for dinner tonight," Heero told him.

"Sure. Can't turn down free food," Duo raised his head enough to give Heero a small smile, "Besides, we can't avoid them forever."

"I'll give her a call back then."

Soon, Heero had a time of eight in the evening and a mission to dress nicely. He went back upstairs and told Duo the news before he went back downstairs and did some work on his laptop.

&&&

Dorothy sat on the bed, fiddling with a letter opener as Hilde and Relena got dressed. Their affair had always been something Dorothy knew about. Relena had known that she didn't have to hide anything from her first true friend. As Hilde pulled on a burgundy blouse to go with her black skirt, Dorothy finally spoke about something that had been weighing on her mind.

"Relena, doesn't it all seem just a little weird to you?" Dorothy asked, parrying with an unseen opponent.

"Does what seem weird?" Relena asked as she brushed her hair.

"The day the two of you decide to tell the two of them that you are having an affair, those two tell you two that they were the ones cheating. I'm not really one to believe in coincidences." Dorothy made an unseemly slicing motion with the opener and then began to balance the opener on a finger, as if testing the balance and weight of a sword.

"I think you may be growing a little paranoid," Hilde snorted.

"Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell are the last two people I ever figured to get together, even though they are both extremely handsome. This may be just a hunch, but what if they aren't having an affair?" Dorothy proposed. Hilde and Relena looked at her as if she were insane.

"Why would they do that?" Relena asked as she touched up her lipstick.

"Maybe they found out about you," Dorothy mused. Hilde's head snapped around to look at Relena.

"What if they found out, Relena? What if they really aren't having an affair?" Hilde asked.

"Impossible. I know Heero. He would not lie like that to me," Relena huffed.

"Relena, you fail to realize something. You lied to him for two years," Dorothy paused and then smirked, "Watch them tonight. I sure will be. Do you really think that two straight men could play the part of gay lovers?"

"Oh please. Heero never was a wonderful actor," Relena sighed.

&&&

"The red or the blue?" Duo asked, holding each shirt in front of him.

"Why are you asking me? You can dress yourself," Heero was puzzled at Duo's behavior. He was acting quite similar to the way Relena did when she was going out.

"I'm asking you because that is what couples do. I'm trying to be interested in your opinions," Duo slouched and scratched his belly.

"Since when have you been interested in my opinions on how you dress?" Heero walked out of the room and into the bathroom.

"Since we decided that we're lovers and that we're sleeping together. You should care about what I wear. Even if it's just what color you like better on me," Duo undid his braid and shook it out. He grabbed the two shirts and went to fetch his brush from the bathroom. Heero was studying his hair with negligent intent. Without a sideways glance he handed Duo the brush and then told Duo what he wanted to hear.

"The blue suits you."

"Thanks honey," Duo teased as he pulled the shirt on. He walked back into the bedroom and hung the red shirt up, and then pulled the brush through his hair. Quickly he braided it, leaving the last six inches unbraided for the heck of it.

Heero came out of his own room a little later wearing black slacks and a light grey oxford. The shirt's top three buttons were undone, showing that Heero wore a plain white t-shirt underneath the dress shirt. Duo smiled as he emerged.

"You look good in grey, Heero," Duo complimented. Heero gave a slight nod of acknowledgement and then grabbed his keys.

"Ready to go?"

&&&

Duo and Heero walked up the steps to Relena's after losing not one but two paparazzi vehicles on the way there. Relena's top-notch security was keeping most of the media away from the estate, but they were still snapped as they entered the grounds.

Duo grabbed Heero's hand and twined their fingers together. Heero looked down and contemplated that briefly. Duo's hands were warm and soft, with those calluses still in place.

"Ready?" Duo asked, squeezing gently.

"Affirmative," Heero nodded.

They rang the doorbell and waited. Dorothy opened the door, wearing an emerald green dinner suit that suited her well.

"Good evening," she said, opened the door wide to let them in.

"You don't answer the door," Heero pointed out as they stepped in.

"I do tonight. Most of the staff has the night off. And, I wanted to speak with the two of you before Hilde and Relena come downstairs," Dorothy said to them. They moved towards the parlor and sat. Duo's hand had become slightly clammy in Heero's. Heero thought that maybe they had been figured out. He didn't know if he should feel relieved about that.

"What's up Dorothy?" Duo asked, looping his arm around Heero's shoulders. Dorothy looked like she had smelled something sour.

"I don't believe for one minute that the two of you are lovers. I cannot put my finger on what it is exactly that makes me believe it, other than the fact that the two of you were happily married beforehand; but I somehow know that this," she gestured to the two of them, "is not something that is possible."

"You couldn't be more wrong, Dorothy. I love Heero. I don't know what went wrong with Hilde, but sometime along the way I stopped loving her as a lover should, and I started loving Heero instead. I only hope you can find it in your heart to be happy for us," Duo turned his head into Heero's neck and nuzzled the skin there. Heero smelled like soap and aftershave and Duo found he liked the smell. The skin was soft and smooth. Duo inhaled, and Heero squirmed a little. What the heck was going on here?

Dorothy smiled her publicly polite smile and stood, "Can I get either of you gentlemen something to drink?"

"Double bourbon, neat," Heero croaked.

"Whiskey and cola," Duo replied, his voice wavering. Dorothy left the room and Duo stood quickly. He moved over to the brick fireplace and stared into the merrily dancing flames.

"What. Was. That?" Heero growled.

"I don't know and I don't want to talk about it," Duo snarled. He was trying to calm down his heartbeat and was failing miserably. His mind was trying to bring order to chaos and his heart was thumping madly and arguing. What had he just done? Had he just been aroused by the way Heero felt? Had he found himself wanting more of the smell and touch of Heero? Moreover, had he sensed Heero liking it just as much? He took a deep breath and plastered on a mask of a grin as he heard Dorothy return with their drinks. She handed them each their drinks and Duo sat down next to Heero again, with their thighs touching.

The silence bore into them for only a few more minutes. The sound of feminine conversation traveled down the hall to them. Relena and Hilde entered the room one right after the other. The men stood to greet them as comfortably as possible, and then Heero grabbed Duo's hand once again.

"Shall we go into the dining room?" Relena asked. Heero nodded and dragged Duo along with him.

Dinner started off with a lovely cheese and wine course. Sliced Golden Delicious apples accompanied a wonderful vintage of Gewürztraminer and a lovely Swiss cheese. Afterwards, a delectable spinach salad was paired with a Shiraz, which also carried over into their grilled rib-eye steak with a Gorgonzola cheese sauce. By the time the strawberry shortcake and Sherry were served both Heero and Duo were more stuffed than they had been in a number of days.

"Claire is still a wonderful cook," Heero complimented as he wiped his mouth with a wonderfully embroidered linen napkin.

"I will tell her you said so," Relena smiled, "Shall we take our coffee in the parlor?"

"All right," Heero nodded as he rose from the table.

Duo had stayed quiet, watching Relena and Hilde. They were trying to be careful about concealing their relationship. Dorothy knew, of course, but they were determined that Heero and Duo not know. Not yet. Duo wondered how long they would be able to keep it up. He grabbed Heero's hand as they left the dining room, and then smiled reassuringly at Heero when Hilde gave the two a searching look.

"What?" Duo asked Hilde innocently.

"Nothing. I just…the two of you…I would've never believed it is all," Hilde shook her head.

"Believe it or not, I actually love him," Heero said as he drew Duo close to him. Hilde's eyes narrowed and then returned to normal as she walked away from them.

"Do you think they're buying it?" Duo asked Heero, looking up into blue eyes.

"I'm not sure, but I think any more affection will make them suspicious," Heero told him, even as he gave Duo a peck on the nose. Duo wrinkled said nose up and arched an eyebrow at Heero, who just shrugged in response.

They sat around and made small talk for a while, and then they got down to the heart of the matter.

"I think we need to address how careless the two of you were the other night," Dorothy finally said.

"We didn't even think anything we were doing could be seen as being romantic at that time. I was just trying to help Heero learn not to shoot the damned pool balls so hard," Duo explained, "I didn't even realize what it looked like until I saw the footage."

"I agree with Duo. We didn't realize it at the time. In the future we will try to seem less obvious," Heero let go of Duo's hand and sat back.

"See that you do. None of us want this in the news anymore than it has to be," Dorothy snapped.

"Oh, come off it. There's bound to be something that will happen sometime soon that will throw the attention away from us," Duo stood up and went to stand at the window.

"But we don't know that Duo. I'm having to pay my workers even though they can't work because of this," Hilde explained.

Heero stood when he saw Duo start to get flustered, "I think we ought to be going. We'll try to make sure no one sees us do anything until this all falls away. Thank you for dinner, Relena. Come on Duo," Heero pulled Duo by the back of his shirt, and Duo walked towards the door.

"Thanks for dinner!" Duo tossed over his shoulder as they walked out.

Relena looked at Hilde, who in turned look at Dorothy.

"Now do you believe it?" Hilde asked the blond.

"I have my doubts, but I have to admit: they do look natural together," Dorothy admitted.

"See? I knew it. They do look good together. It makes you wonder why they ever tried being straight in the first place," Relena wondered, "Heero was always good in bed, if a little mechanical. I wonder if that was because he knew it wasn't what he really needed?"

"Hey, I knew as soon as we got together that you were exactly what I needed," Hilde smiled and wrapped her arms around Relena's waist.

"I am going to retire for the night. Good night Relena, Hilde," Dorothy excused herself and walked up the stairs.

"When this all blows over we'll have to take those two out some more. Duo always liked to go out," Hilde told Relena as she hugged her close.

"All right, when this all blows over," Relena agreed, kissing the dark-haired girl gently.


	7. A Game I Can't Win

Title: Count Me In ch 7/11

Author: WickedGame

Notes: See chapter 1 for all disclaimers. Beta-ed by Adaina.

Warnings for this chapter: Foul language, shounen ai.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. Chapter title courtesy Deana Carter.

Chapter Seven – A Game I Can't Win

Every morning brings it own surprises. This morning, the surprise was that the answers to Duo and Heero's prayers had finally come.

"World renowned neo-burlesque star Candy Apple was found murdered this morning in the dressing room of the theater she had built exclusively for her decadent acts. Authorities are keeping hush-hush…."

If Heero were one to do so, he would have jumped up and whooped at the news. Instead, he walked down the hall and opened Duo's door. Duo was still snoring, his braid having come most of the way undone in his sleep.

"Duo! Wake up," Heero called from the doorway.

"Wha?" Duo mumbled.

"I think that we'll be free and clear of media attention in a few days," Heero told him. Duo sat up and pushed hair out of his eyes.

"How?" he asked.

"Some stripper named Candy Apple got killed last night," Heero told him.

"Paparazzi live for two things: death and sex. Put the two together and they'll be all over that story for quite some time," Duo almost smiled at the thought.

"I'll phone Preventers and see what the situation is like outside HQ. Even though it's Saturday, someone will be there," Heero told him as he disappeared into the front room. Duo scrubbed his face with his hands and got out of bed.

"Shower," Duo said suddenly and aimed his body right for the bathroom.

&&&

Heero rose and walked into the kitchen. He took some eggs and bacon from the fridge and started to cook breakfast.

As he cracked the eggs he thought about what Une had said. She had been at work even though it was a Saturday, and that was unusual. She said she had wanted to be briefed on the Candy Apple case by the local authorities. Even though they would not be involved in the case it was always good to know what everyone was up to. She had informed Heero that there were some reporters still in front of the building, but none as voracious as the vultures that had been there before. She assumed Heero and Duo could go back to work by the Monday after next at the latest.

Heero turned the burner on under the pan so he could fry the bacon and whisked the eggs quickly. He reached up into the cupboard and grabbed the kosher salt and black pepper. After a pinch of both into the eggs he set the bowl aside. The eggs would have to wait until the bacon was done before they could be cooked.

Last night had been unusual. If Heero was right, it had been unusual for the both of them. If their relationship was supposed to be temporary and pretend then how come it seemed so…well…right for them to act like that, to be close like that? It was still something that was confusing him. It was like he was out of place without Duo around, like something about him made things okay and less tough to bear.

He knew he saw some of himself in Duo. It was not unusual to relate to someone you had fought, bled, and almost died with. It was like, with Duo, a little bit of his self was in there and he could see it. He could feel it too. The understanding when he turned around at a loud noise or the compassion when he saw when they went to somewhere that was still rebuilding after the wars. Duo had been there too, had seen and done the same things. For some reason that was comforting. He wondered if Duo felt the same way about that kind of stuff.

But then there were things that blew his mind in ways he didn't really know how to comprehend. Last night, at Relena's, Duo had turned his head into Heero's neck and had...nuzzled him? He had rubbed his nose into Heero's skin and had inhaled the scent of it. The stranger thing though, in Heero's mind, was the way he reacted to it. The moment that nose hit his skin he felt hot breath on flesh and then his whole body felt a little weaker than it had the moment before. When that nose inhaled and he heard Duo make a tiny noise that could have signaled contentment he had become almost dizzy. The feeling of being warm and soft like that was an all-new thing for Heero. He had tried hard to forget it since then, but it hadn't worked.

Heero turned the bacon in the pan and watched it sizzle, the little bubbles popping in the pork grease. The thought running through his head now was one of confusion, of not knowing what to do next. He was so deep in thought that he did not even notice when Duo came out of the shower.

"Heero? Hey, Heero?" Duo tried to catch Heero's attention from across the room but then he caught a whiff of bacon on the air. He walked quietly up to Heero and propped a chin on one of Heero's shoulders.

"Heero? Is that bacon I smell?" Duo asked, and inhaled. Heero's body immediately remembered the sound from the night before and reacted unexpectedly. Heero inhaled sharply and closed his eyes as shivers flowed down his spine. Then his eyes snapped back open with sudden realization: he was turned on!

Duo wrapped his arms around Heero's waist impulsively and hugged his pretend boyfriend, "You're making bacon and eggs. I could kiss you!"

Heero was shocked into silence by Duo's impulsive words. Duo sighed and let go before moving to the fridge, "Do you want some orange juice?"

Heero took a deep breath and tried to regain some semblance of equilibrium, "Yes, thank you."

Duo looked at him weirdly, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Duo. I talked to Une."

"Why was she in on a Saturday?" Duo asked.

"Candy Apple case. She was being briefed by the local authorities," Heero explained, "She tells me that we can go back to work in about another week or so."

"Great," Duo rolled his eyes, "Not that I don't enjoy having a ton of free time to spend with you, but it'll be nice to be back at work again."

"Yeah, it would be," Heero said softly, but he was not so sure he meant it. Would it be nice? Would all of this be over then?

Did he want it to be over?

&&&

Heero was out for a jog when the vid phone rang. Duo went to it and saw that it was Relena's residence. He opened up the feed and saw that it was Hilde.

"Hey Hil," Duo greeted her.

"Hey yourself. Where's Heero?" she asked.

"Out for a jog," Duo told her.

"Odd time of day for a jog. Sure he wasn't trying to get away from you?" Hilde teased.

"Hardee har har," Duo joked, but then frowned, "You don't really think so, do you?"

"Don't know. I'm not Heero," Hilde commented.

"Definitely not. Main difference? You have tits," Duo pointed out. Hilde chuckled.

"So, anyways," Hilde was finally getting to the point of her phone call, "Relena and I thought last night went really well, how about you?"

Duo thought back on it, and back on his impulsive affections. Heero had smelled so good, and his skin had been so soft right there on the neck…

"It went really well," he said softly, thinking about how he had felt inside when he had nuzzled that skin, and how he had felt a lot of the time when he was with Heero. Things had changed since that morning when he had found the photos, and he was starting to think it was all for the better.

"Well, we were thinking that it might be nice for all of us to go out tonight," Hilde suggested, "I mean, you two as a couple and Relena and I as just…pals."

"I take it that you saw the news too?" Duo asked with a small smirk. Damn but that girl had to work hard to hide the way she felt about Relena from him. He wished she remembered how well he knew her at one time. Her face blushed when she spoke of Relena and her voice always got softer and sweeter when she talked about the woman she loved. Last night Duo had noticed that whenever Hilde talked to Relena her hands involuntarily twitched toward the blonde with a natural need to connect. It sucked that they had to pretend to be friends for now.

"I hate to say it, but if a neo-burlesque star is going to be killed she couldn't have picked a better time. Almost all the reporters are gone," Hilde assured him.

"I'll ask Heero when he comes back from his jog," Duo told Hilde.

"Okay. You'll call back?"

"Sure Hil. Say hi to Relena for me."

"Sure thing! Bye Duo."

Duo thought about something that had been troubling him ever since he woke up this morning and realized this whole thing would be over soon: should they tell Relena and Hilde that they know about their affair?

There wasn't really any reason to keep it a secret anymore. The press was starting to lighten up after only two days of continued pestering, and they weren't likely to revisit the issue unless something dramatic happened. Heero and Duo could confess that their relationship was a scam and that they had done it to protect the relationship Relena and Hilde had, and then they could be done with this nonsense.

Was it nonsense? Duo wasn't so sure anymore. Sure, Heero was probably totally tired of the whole thing and thought it all a farce by now. But Duo had felt things he wasn't wholly sure how to deal with yet, but one thing he knew was that he was not ready to let Heero go completely. It was like there was something there, something untapped and waiting.

Duo hated being confused. He hated being puzzled. But everything in his life seemed to be that way right now: a big, fat puzzle.

&&&

Heero came in from his jog to find Duo sitting on the couch. The normally talkative man was staring out the window, watching the sun pass through the sky.

"Duo?" Heero asked tentatively, not really wanting to break the tranquil scene.

"Heero, what do ya think about confessing to the girls?" Duo asked.

Heero was taken aback. Duo wanted to end this now?

"Why do you ask?" Heero replied.

"Hilde called me today. She says most of their reporters are gone too. I was just thinking: if we told the girls, then we could… Ah hell, don't listen to me, I don't make any sense."

"No, I don't think we should tell them just yet. Wait until we go back to work maybe. Wait until this all blows over. If something happens and all those reporters come back then we may need to keep…acting," Heero answered hesitantly.

Truth was, he had done some thinking while he was jogging. He had decided that he needed to investigate this whole thing more. He had to figure this out. In other words, he wasn't ready to let Duo go. He needed to delay that until he figured out what was going on.

"Okay," Duo nodded and walked into the kitchen. "The girls want us to go out with them tonight."

"They do?" Heero inquired, "Fine."

"I'll call Hilde and tell her," Duo assured his friend and partner.

Hilde chose a movie for them to go to, and made it a late showing to make sure there were less people. Heero was grateful for the opportunity to study these new feelings more. He was just curious as to how far either of them would let this go. Everything was so new and so abrupt that he still needed time to process it.

Duo didn't ask Heero's opinion on what he should wear, and that was probably a good thing. Heero didn't know how he would take being asked what Duo looked good in, because he honestly was now of the opinion that Duo looked good in just about anything. This was yet another new feeling to process.

Duo's dark jeans and white t-shirt seemed to be par for the course when it came to a movie date, but Duo clucked when Heero came out wearing slacks and a button down shirt.

"No way Jose," was all Duo said before he moved to Heero's bureau. Out came some medium wash jeans and a deep blue t-shirt that Heero had bought while out shopping one day. Duo tossed the two things at Heero with directions to disrobe and put on the more casual clothing.

Duo left the room and Heero did as he was told. He slipped his shoes back on and came back out to the living room. Duo looked like he was lost in thought as he watched Heero emerge, and Heero suddenly felt like he could feel Duo's eyes scanning over his body. It brought a flush to his skin that was not wholly familiar and he suddenly moved to grab his jacket. Duo stopped him by grabbing his elbow.

"It's warm outside. We won't need jackets," he said softly, letting Heero's arm go. Heero did not reply, and instead headed right for the door.

They were silent almost all the way to where they would be meeting the girls. It was only right as they pulled up to the theater that Duo began to smile and act like he normally would around the girls. Heero did not bother to act; it just wasn't in him to do it. There were too many things weighing on his mind.

Hilde and Relena were waiting outside the theater, both dressed in dark jeans and jackets with wigs on. Duo chuckled at the sight of Hilde with red hair and Relena with deep brown hair.

"Hilde, you could never really get away with red hair," he laughed and grabbed Heero's hand. There were only a few people outside the theater and none of them were looking at the four people gathered by the box office window.

They purchased tickets and made their way to the concession stand, where Duo purchased a large tub of popcorn and a very large soda. Heero declined any refreshment, and the girls each stuck with a soda apiece. They made their way into their screen and picked seats near the back but in the middle.

Duo moaned throughout the commercials that plagued the movies and then hushed everyone into silence when the previews came up. When the movie finally came on they were all silent but amused by his antics, and Heero held his hand, even though they did not need to.

It was interesting to see Relena or Hilde move their hands towards each other and then snatch them away for fear of being seen. Heero wondered briefly if this was the kind of behavior homosexual couples always exhibited when they were forced to stay in the closet or conceal their relationships. It was a shame really. Heero was of the belief that you can't control whom you are attracted to any more than you can control the weather on Earth. It was like love: even though he knew very little about the emotion he could tell that love could hit you at any time, and with any person. Love, from what he understood, was the one emotion that you could never control.

As he looked over at Duo, who was distracted by the film, he wondered how that emotion pertained to them. Duo had been his partner and best friend for years now. But with all these new feelings, the attraction he was feeling had added this whole new element. Now he not only wanted to be around Duo like he had wanted to when they were just friends; now, he wanted to be with Duo. It was strange, and unusual, and quick, but it was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

When the film was over they went for ice cream. When Duo ordered a banana split after he had consumed the large popcorn and soda while in the theater Heero gave him a curious look.

"What?" Duo asked, cocking his head, "You afraid I'm going to gain too much weight? Will ya still love me when I'm fat Heero?"

The girls broke out into peals of laughter and Heero glared at Duo, "Yes, I will."

Duo just smiled smartly and carried his banana split to a table. Heero ordered a cone of chocolate soft serve and went to join Duo and the girls.

Duo studied Heero as he ate his ice cream. Something was up with his pretend boyfriend, and he had no clue what it was. Heero had been acting weird ever since the dinner at Relena's.

As he watched Heero lick a circle around the ice cream pinnacle, he also wondered what was up with himself. He was familiar with the feeling; it was attraction. But to be feeling that kind of attraction (the kind that was making him watch Heero's tongue as it licked persistently at creamy soft serve) wasn't something he'd ever experienced with anyone but Hilde. Even with Hilde the attraction had been much more muted, like it was softer and just…less of something that he wanted and more of something that just was.

Duo took a spoon and dug into his banana split, turning the spoon in his mouth to make sure he could suck every last drop of ice cream off the spoon. He pulled it out of his mouth and smacked his lips in contentment.

He guessed that it didn't really matter. Soon this would all be over. This was all just another mission to Heero anyway. Heero always took his missions seriously, but once they were over they were over. As soon as all the media attention went away this would all be over. No more holding Heero's hand, no more hugging him in front of people, no more affectionate kisses to make people believe they were more than what they were.

Did he really want that? Did he want to let it go without even trying to explore it? Let Heero go without even exploring him? But if he even tried half the stuff his mind had been conjuring up in all its perverted glory lately, then Heero would be gone lickety-split. What was wrong with him?

Heero watched as Duo spooned up another mouthful of hot fudge and whipped topping. He brought it to his mouth, opened it, placed the spoon inside and closed his lips around it. The moment he did that he turned the spoon and sucked on it as he drew it from his mouth. The very act of eating ice cream was turned on its head for Heero. He threw his cone away and decided that getting out of here would be in their best interests before he lost his mind.

"Duo, we had better go," Heero said, looking at his watch.

"But," Duo looked at Heero and sighed in defeat, "Okay. See ya later girls."

The two drove back home in the same silence that they had lived through on the way to the theater. And when they pulled up to the house they both went inside silently.

Some things just could not be figured out in a couple of hours.


	8. On A Straight Tequila Night

Title: Count Me In ch 8/11

Author: WickedGame

Warnings for this chapter: some 1x1 action, lime action.

Disclaimers for this chapter: I do not own Gundam Wing.

Notes: Beta-ed by Adaina. Chapter title courtesy John Anderson.

Chapter Eight – On A Straight Tequila Night

Heero headed straight for the shower as soon as he walked in the door. No words were exchanged, and Duo headed straight for the liquor cabinet.

"I figure," he whispered to himself as he took down his favorite shot glass and an almost-full bottle of tequila, "that the only way to get away from making a fool of myself is to make sure all that is left of me is a puddle of unconscious goo. Drunk, unconscious goo."

Heero turned on the shower in the bathroom and waited a minute for it to get warm. He stripped out of his jeans and t-shirt, tossing them into the clothing hamper with the other soiled clothes and stepped under the spray.

He was going to be damned; he just knew it. He had just spent the better part of thirty minutes ogling his best friend while he ate ice cream. This was supposed to be…temporary. This was supposed to be an act! But now, under the shower, his body was betraying him. His cock was starting to stir, and when Heero remembered the way Duo had sucked on that spoon it sprang to full attention, making Heero moan in frustration and agony.

"Why me?" he asked himself as he stared at the erection. He reached down and grabbed the shaft in his right hand, giving it an experimental tug, and sucked in a breath.

If he did this, if he masturbated in the shower he and Duo shared, would that be acknowledging that he felt something? Would that be accepting that he was now sexually attracted to Duo?

Images suddenly assaulted his brain: Duo wearing the outfit he wore when they played billiards, Duo behind him as he was learning how to not hit the balls too hard, Duo wearing that shirt when they went to dinner, Duo in little to nothing when he came out of the shower…they came in flashes and blinks, and before Heero knew it his hands was moving, fast and tight around his dick.

He moved the hand up and down and knew with sudden clarity that he would not last long. It had been too long and he was too turned on. With a groan that made him have to bite his fist to conceal it he came, shooting pearly white liquid onto the floor of the shower, and then the evidence was washed down the drain.

Heero quickly washed his hair and body, needing to get away from these thoughts and feelings as quickly as possible. He stepped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around his waist and made his way into his bedroom. When he stepped back out he was wearing pajama bottoms and little else.

He thought that maybe Duo had gone to bed until he heard Duo humming in the kitchen. He rounded the corner and saw that Duo was sitting at the table with a half-empty bottle of tequila and a hangdog expression.

"What are you doing?" Heero asked.

"Getting' drunk. Wazzit it look like?" Duo slurred the words badly.

"I can see that. Did you start drinking as soon as I got into the shower?" Heero took the bottle away and replaced the cap before storing it away.

"Don't mention you n' shower n' same sentence," Duo said pathetically as he dropped his head onto the table.

"You're very drunk," Heero commented.

"And you're very not drunk. You always were oblivious to the things that were right n' front o' you," Duo told his pretend boyfriend.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Heero asked carefully as he rinsed out the shot glass in the sink. The chair scraped on the floor behind him, signifying that Duo had gotten up.

Duo made his way over to Heero while swaying on his feet. Heero turned around and Duo saw two of him. But those were two damned irresistible Heeros, and Duo used his body to pin both those bodies against the sink.

Heero looked up into out-of-focus violet eyes that were more a plum shade at that moment and felt Duo's warm body press against him, rendering him unable to move without hurting Duo. He bit back a moan as he felt skin touch skin, and tried his hardest not to give into what he was feeling.

"It means, it means...Hell Heero...Shit!" Duo leaned in abruptly and kissed Heero, using none of the finesse or gentleness they had used previous to this moment in their enacted kisses. Duo was pushing his lips firmly onto Heero's and he was digging his hands into the hair that brushed Heero's neck. Heero was responding before he even realized it, grabbing handfuls of Duo's long hair and holding Duo close. Damned if he did not want this! He wanted it more than he had ever wanted Relena, or anyone for that matter. He wanted this kiss more than he wanted to breathe. He opened his mouth and reacted sharply when Duo opened his at the same time. Their tongues touched and retracted, then touched again and wrapped together in harmony, tasting tequila and ice cream and just essence in a hot, liquid feeling that was making Heero hard and Duo dizzy.

Duo released Heero's hair and moved his hands down the sides of Heero's fit body until they rested on his hips. With one drunken motion he wedged a knee between Heero's legs and grabbed onto Heero's ass cheeks. Heero moaned into Duo's mouth and mumbled something as they kissed. Duo didn't hear it though, whatever it was.

Heero knew what he had said, but he didn't want to admit to the words that had escaped. His whole body was on fire, and he was vividly aware of the knee that was grazing his crotch, making him ache.

After a few more minutes they both came up for air, and drunken Duo looked into Heero's bright blue eyes.

"Heero…" Duo breathed softly, his eyes glowing.

"Duo, I…think…I think that I…"

"I hafta throw up!"

Duo ran for the bathroom and Heero soon heard retching noises coming from within. He ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath.

"I have to get out of here," he said to the empty room. He took his keys and left.

He needed to be anywhere but here before he did something he would regret even more than what he had already done.

&&&

Duo turned over in his bed and looked at his alarm clock. It was close to noon. There was not a sound in the house.

"That was a good dream," Duo yawned, and winced as his headache hit him.

Oh yeah, tequila. He remembered the tequila bottle and hoping to drown his attraction in the amber liquid. He didn't remember much more than that though. He smacked his lips and realized that he had in fact vomited during the night. A quick survey of his room confirmed that he had not thrown up in here at least.

He had dreamed the strangest dream though. Not that it was a bad dream. Anytime before last week it would have been a strange/bad dream for sure. But this dream was a dream that was strange in a good way. He had never had erotic dreams about Heero before. But this one was hot, even if it did end on a weird note and was an impossible scenario.

He had seen Heero at the sink and he had pinned Heero to that sink before kissing him senseless. He had wedged a knee between Heero's legs and had cupped Heero's ass, which in the dream had felt nice and tight. And at some point Heero had whispered the words, 'I think I'm falling in love with you…'

Duo blinked his eyes and sighed. It was just a dream, but a nice one. Heero was a great husband to Relena when he'd had an opportunity to be and Duo would miss him when this was all over. If only he wanted it to be over.

He got into a severely hot shower and let the steam leech the rest of the alcohol from his body. He washed his hair and body and braided his hair again once he got out of the shower.

Heero came in the door about thirty minutes after the shower, while Duo was eating some toast and drinking some coffee.

"Hey Heero? I didn't embarrass myself or anything last night, did I? I was really drunk, and I don't even remember any of it," Duo told the tired-looking Heero. Duo chewed and swallowed before asking his next question, "Are you okay?"

"Just some trouble sleeping last night," was what Heero said, "Do we have anything we need to do today?"

"No, why?" Duo asked, taking a sip of coffee.

"I was thinking about going to see Trowa and Quatre before they leave tomorrow. They are overseeing that recon work we were supposed to be doing this next week," Heero explained. It would have looked strange were he to go visit the two lovers without Duo in tow.

"Sure, when do you want to leave?" Duo asked.

"Forty-five minutes?"

"Sure."

Heero had alternative motives for going out to see their friends. One, he needed to get out of this house for a bit before he did things he would regret; and two, he needed advice from Quatre and quick.

Quatre and he had been almost close during the war. He still remembered those few days in the desert, when Quatre was still recovering from his first stint with the Zero system. Quatre had proved himself a friend then and many times thereafter. Next to Duo, Heero trusted Quatre the most. He desperately needed to get his feelings out to someone who would understand.

Duo chattered quietly in the car about everything and nothing at the same time, trying to fill up the air between them so that it was not so silent. Heero responded occasionally, trying not to be hurt by the fact that Duo did not remember a thing they did last night.

He had been up almost all night. He had taken a walk, taken another shower, ate a sandwich and had tried other things in order to try to force his body to sleep. Nothing worked. He had finally given up and had just gone out at about five that morning to grab some coffee and breakfast alone.

It was just that he couldn't get the feeling to go away. The feeling of Duo's lips on his, their tongues touching, and their bodies pressed together. He could still feel that knee pressing between his legs and Duo's capable hands on his ass, squeezing him.

Heero shifted in his seat, trying to hide what he was sure was a growing problem in his pants. He had spent a lot of his time in the coffee shop thinking. Why the hell Duo? Why now?

He had come to the conclusion that maybe, just maybe, he had been attracted to Duo back before he married Relena. He had always thought Duo was an attractive male, but had never considered that that feeling might be translated into a sexual attraction. He remembered feeling warmer when Duo was around, and being unable to even truly think of hurting the guy. It had taken all his willpower to raise a gun at him when he was supposed to kill him. Even then, when the orders were clear, he could not do it. That face had stopped him. Those eyes, that nose…

"Heero?" Duo asked, waving a hand in front of Heero's face.

"Don't do that while I'm driving," Heero commented evenly.

"Sheesh, okay. I was just wondering what you were thinking about," Duo said.

"I was supposed to kill you that day, but I couldn't," Heero shared his thoughts.

"Sure looked like you could. I thought you were going to," Duo confessed.

"It was hard enough for me to even raise the gun at you. That's all I was thinking about," Heero said.

"Don't dwell on it man. Not worth the trouble," Duo sighed.

&&&

They reached the house where Quatre and Trowa lived after about thirty minutes. Quatre could have probably bought a very large home, but he and Trowa elected to live in a three-bedroom home in a family neighborhood. Quatre claimed it was their 'slice of normality'. Duo always laughed at that.

Quatre himself opened the door and ushered them in.

"Hey you two, nice to see you," he greeted them with a warm smile.

"Hey Quatre," Duo said gruffly and hugged the blonde. When Trowa came into the room a minute later Duo offered his hand, and Trowa shook it. Heero shook both of their hands and then waited for Quatre to say something.

"Heero, you look exhausted," Trowa commented. Heero looked at him, a little shocked at the observation. Trowa, while not being someone who stayed completely silent, was not apt to comment on people's physical conditions.

"Ol' Heero here got very little sleep last night," Duo explained as he took a seat in the living room.

"What, did you keep him up all night Duo?" Quatre teased, taking his own seat.

"Nah, beats me why the guy couldn't sleep. I was the one who passed out. One too many tequila shots."

Quatre looked at Heero and saw a mix of things on his face: exhaustion, worry, stress, and apprehension. The expression softened when he looked at Duo, but the added expression of sadness seemed to be there also.

"Hey Trowa, why don't you and Duo go to the store and get some stuff and we'll have a barbeque out on the patio?" Quatre asked his lover. Trowa looked at him weirdly but nodded.

"Come on Duo, let's go get some steaks."

"All right, I'm coming," Duo grumbled but complied. A minute later the car started and drove off.

"Come outside with me, Heero," Quatre suggested.

The backyard was green and well maintained, with a nice flagstone patio that matched the blue house ideally.

"Tell me what's going on," Quatre said softly. Heero took a seat in one of the patio chairs and faced Quatre.

"Duo kissed me last night," Heero just thought it was best to get the issue out immediately.

"He did? He didn't mention it," Quatre said.

"He's forgotten about it. Says he does not remember anything after starting to drink tequila last night," Heero explained.

"He remembers, he just doesn't think he remembers," Quatre replied.

"What do you mean?" Heero asked.

"He has done nothing but look at your lips since the moment you two walked through the door. I'm willing to bet he either thinks it was a dream or a drunken hallucination."

"That's beside the point…"

"What kind of kiss?" Quatre asked abruptly.

"The kind that you could never mistake for friendly or familial," Heero growled.

"Okay. So he kissed you. So what?"

"These weird feelings have been happening ever since I moved in. But things started to get complicated when we went and had dinner with Relena, Hilde, and Dorothy on Friday.

"Duo and I were trying to convince Dorothy we were in love, and Duo turned his head and rubbed his nose into my neck. He inhaled, and all of a sudden it was like my whole body was in some kind of shock. Ever since that moment it's like I'm fighting something when it comes to him. Sexual attraction for one, but there is more to it than that," Heero scratched his head and sat back.

"You have feelings for him, don't you?" Quatre asked.

"In a way other than being just a friend? I don't know. Right now I don't know up from down when it concerns Duo. I just wonder sometimes, like in the car on the way here, if I haven't always been attracted to Duo, but that I was with Relena. I wonder if being with Relena wasn't…"

"Some kind of excuse?" Quatre finished, sympathy showing on his face.

"Yes."

"Let things develop as they will, if you want this. There's no hurry. The two of you live together now, whether the story about Hilde and Relena stands up in public or not. Just watch and wait, and see if things don't naturally progress," Quatre urged, standing up, "Would you like something to drink?"

"Sure."

Quatre walked back into the house and came out moments later with two glasses of iced tea. Heero took his gratefully.

"So, have the girls confessed to you yet?" Quatre asked as he watched the condensation drip from the glass in his hand.

"No. They're trying very hard to hide it. I honestly think they're scared of what we'll say when we 'find out'. From the moment I found out what was going on I've never blamed Relena. I know Duo feels the same way. I think he wanted it to work with Hilde because he honestly wanted to love her and be with her but when he found out she had been unhappy with their marriage he came to the same conclusion that I did. As unhappy as I am about the fact that they lied to us for a long time I actually find that I'm happier now that they're actually happy and in love."

"You're being very pragmatic about this," Quatre quirked an eyebrow in amusement.

"It's all I can do. I only wanted Relena to be happy. If Hilde makes her happy then I'm all for it. I just wish I was half as happy." Heero took a long drink of the cool tea and set down the glass.

"Give it time. The two of you look good together." Quatre meant it too. Duo and Heero had something special about them. When they stood together it looked like a solid force and not two separate people.

'Maybe they were made for each other after all,' Quatre thought to himself.


	9. You Can't Always Get What You Want

Title: Count Me In ch 9/11

Author: WickedGame

Warnings: 2x1 lemon. Foul language. Little limey RxH.

Notes: Beta-ed by Adaina. Chapter title courtesy of The Rolling Stones.

Chapter Nine – You Can't Always Get What You Want

The trip to Quatre and Trowa's had been nice for the both of them. Heero had gotten the advice he had needed, and Duo had gotten to spend time with people he felt were as close as family. They had barbequed and just hung out until it got late enough to head back. Heero had gone to bed without another word when they got home. He needed time to think and maybe even plan. Duo had only stayed up a little longer before he also retired for the night.

On Monday they decided to go running in the park, something they had not done in quite some time. They both wore jogging shorts and white tank tops as they jogged. When they stopped to take a breather they were approached by a young woman with a puppy.

"Excuse me, but are you Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell?" the young lady asked.

"Yes," they both answered at the same time. Duo looked at the young woman curiously, while Heero looked at her like she was a ghost.

"I just wanted to tell you that I think you two are really sweet together. I just wish more people had the guts to come out and be public together like you guys do," her blond hair bounced as she talked, and her tiny dog yipped as he watched other people go by.

"Well," Duo threw an arm around Heero and pulled him close, "Me n' Heero can be in love just like anyone else, right?"

"Love doesn't make sense." Heero shrugged and smiled up at the slightly taller Duo.

"You're right." The girl agreed.

"What's your name?" Heero asked, sounding almost wistful.

"Mari. Well, I have to go. It was nice to meet the two of you though. Have fun!" she winked and walked away. Heero sat down on the bench near them and rubbed his face with his hands. Duo sat down beside him and put the same arm from before back around him.

"Bad?" Duo asked. He had worn that expression himself more than once. Memories chose bad times to rear their ugly heads.

Heero looked up, blinking back tears that had already fallen before because of the same reason. "Yeah."

They sat together for a few moments before either of them spoke again, and it was Duo who broke the silence. "Heero? What's going on?"

Heero had a feeling he knew what Duo meant, but he did not want to assume. "What do you mean?"

"I'm just confused, I guess. Everything feels different now, doesn't it?"

"Different how?"

"You and I. This…thing we have going on here. Ever since Friday we've been dancing around it and each other. Are we bullshitting ourselves? Are we so hurt by our ex's that we're looking toward each other for comfort all of a sudden?"

Heero stood abruptly, "You really don't know, do you? And you called me oblivious. Are you still running from the answers?"

Duo was rendered speechless by Heero's outburst. He started to open his mouth but then Heero interrupted him.

"You may or may not remember it, Duo, but you're the one that finally changed it all for good. Do you even know?" Heero bent down and put his mouth near Duo's ear. "You kissed me Duo. A long, hot, steamy kiss at the sink that made both of us want more. You think about that kiss when you wonder if it's not really Hilde you want."

Heero jogged away and Duo let him. Duo watched him go with an unreadable expression. He creased his brow in thought and scoured his mind for an explanation.

"The dream!" he gasped suddenly. So that's why it had been so vivid. When he had woken up he had felt like he had been good and kissed. He had chalked it all up to the tequila at the time but now…

"Never again," Duo said as he thought about the tequila. Never again would he let himself get that drunk. It only caused problems. For instance, in his 'dream' Heero had said something that Duo thought might be important but now he could not recall it. It almost made his head hurt just to try and think about it.

Finish the jog and then go home, he thought to himself. Maybe then he could figure this all out. He was tired of trying to fit everything into a mold. He was tired of thinking about how everything was supposed to be. But Heero was right: it was all changed for good, no matter who had done it. He wondered how much more it could change before everything fell apart.

&&&

Hilde opened the door to Relena's office and closed it behind her as she walked inside.

"Relena?" Hilde asked. The Vice Foreign Minister looked up from her desk and smiled.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Do you remember that club we went to in disguise that one time before?" Hilde asked as she sat on Relena's tweed-clad lap.

"The one with the dark corners and the nice, high booths?" Relena asked innocently as she eased a hand inside of Hilde's knit shirt. Her questing hand found a cotton bra and she stroked the material innocently.

"I was thinking," Hilde said as she got more comfortable, "of you wearing that plum colored dress and those black pumps..."

"Oh, you want to go out tonight?" Relena asked as if she had no clue what had been coming. The hand that was not stroking Hilde's bra had inched its way down to between her thighs, stroking her softly through denim. Hilde let out a soft moan and squirmed on Relena's lap.

"Uh huh," Hilde said softly, "We haven't been out for a while. I think that we may be okay as long as we wear wigs or something. What do you think?"

Relena leaned over and pressed a button on her vidphone. "Dorothy?"

"Yes, Relena?" Dorothy's light voice rang throughout the quiet room.

"Hold my calls for about an hour please?"

Hilde bit her lip in anticipation.

"Yes, Relena."

Relena leered at Hilde, "Now, as for you…"

&&&

Heero was cooking dinner when Duo finally returned from his jog. Duo stood in the doorway and watched Heero ignore his presence for a minute before going to take a shower. He washed the sweat of the jog off of him and then stepped out. He brushed his hair and left it down for a time. Sometimes wearing that braid constantly could make his head hurt. He stepped into his bedroom and pulled on a pair of loose knit shorts and a loose, green tank top.

"See? Heero's not the only one who owns one," he said to his reflection in the mirror.

Heero was setting the table as Duo emerged.

"Hey! What's for dinner?" Duo asked jovially as he sat down. He hoped that the tone of his voice would cover up just how nervous he was feeling right now.

He had come to the conclusion during the remainder of his jog that he would need to test out what had happened in his 'dream', to even find out if it was something he needed or wanted while he was sober. That Heero was attractive was undeniable, but was it something that he wanted to pursue? What would it feel like? Even scarier: what if he couldn't stop once he started? What if this really was for real?

"Chicken and rice," Heero said as he sat down.

The two ate in relative silence, with Duo being the only one to talk occasionally. When they were done Duo offered to do the dishes, and Heero let him. Duo watched as Heero retreated to his bedroom and then he turned his mind to the task in front of him.

By the time he was done his tank top was soaked. He removed it and tossed it onto the back of a chair. He had never had much luck staying dry while doing dishes. Now it was time to take care of the other matter on his mind. He turned and walked toward Heero's bedroom, making every step known.

Heero was sitting on his bed reading. His blue eyes looked up at Duo as he entered the room.

"What?" Heero asked.

"I want you to understand something: I thought it was some drunken dream. I thought that was what it was. I had no clue I had actually kissed you."

Heero nodded and spoke angrily, "That would explain it then. There would be no way that you would kiss me like that without being inebriated."

"No! I don't think you understand. It was a good dream. A very good dream," Duo confessed. He heard Heero suck in a breath.

"What? You are going to try and convince me now that you meant it? That you liked it?" Heero asked, his voice uncharacteristically bitter.

"I did like it, but I was drunk. You need to give me a chance to try it sober. You can't judge me on a drunken kiss. I don't know which way is up and which way is down concerning you or this relationship anymore, but I am not going to cut you out just based on the fact that you were sober and liked it. If we kiss again you may not like it at all. But I need answers. Heck, you need answers. It's not like we haven't kissed before."

Heero put down his book and then looked at Duo. "Fine then, kiss me."

"Really?"

"Do it before I change my mind," Heero growled.

Duo moved closer and bent down. Before he reached Heero's mouth he drew back and looked into Heero's eyes. They were sad, wistful, with a touch of anger behind them.

"No." he found himself saying.

"Why not?" Heero asked.

"This feels wrong," Duo stated.

"Which part? The part where you marched in here and treated kissing me like a business arrangement or the part where you acted like you were marching into war?" Heero asked.

"Well, isn't this a business arrangement in the first place?" Duo sneered.

"You know what? Fuck off, Maxwell."

Heero stood and stalked off, leaving Duo behind.

"Oh no you don't!" Duo growled as he turned to follow. Heero was almost at the front door by the time that Duo caught up. Duo latched his hand onto the arm that was reaching for the doorknob and spun Heero around before he pinned him against the door, twisting Heero's arm behind him in the process.

"Let me go!" Heero barked as he glared. Duo was used to ever single bad look Heero could give him and did not budge.

"Not without knowing what I would be missing if I did," Duo said evenly.

Heero just closed his eyes as Duo moved closer and shuddered as he felt those kissable lips breathing hot breath onto his own. If he just moved his head, even a little, their lips would meet, but he kept his head still.

"You just look so damned beautiful like this. I swear I never knew you could look so beautiful. How did I ever miss it?" Duo whispered onto his mouth. It took all of Heero's willpower not to groan out loud.

"If you are going to kiss me then stop talking and do it," Heero challenged Duo.

Heero expected bruising force that was worthy of the reputation of Shinigami. He did not expect a slight butterfly brushing of soft lips against his own. Once, twice, three times Duo brushed those lips against his until Heero was forced to mewl like a kitten. When he did mewl the reward was having those silky lips settle more firmly against his, rubbing and massaging the flesh there. Duo's slim hands came up from holding him against the door to be buried in his thick hair. He allowed his now-freed hands to find Duo's long hair and he stroked the fine strands gently, matching the kiss.

Duo settled more firmly against Heero and heard the pleased noises that emitted from Heero's chest. He briefly wondered how he could have ever questioned this, or them. Right now all he wanted was to never stop kissing those lips and feeling Heero all around him. Kissing Heero was like finding something you had been searching for and never found. He was hard as a rock, which answered the sexual desire question; and he could feel an answering hardness behind Heero's jeans. Wanting each other was definitely not a problem. What was the problem then? Was there even a problem anymore? Was there ever a problem? He wasn't to sure at that moment.

Heero had decided to move on and he opened his mouth slightly in invitation. Duo immediately took him up on that invite, sweeping his tongue through Heero's mouth intensely. Heero groaned deep in his throat and thrust his tongue against Duo's, longing to find its way into Duo's hot mouth.

It was like nothing Duo had ever felt before. It felt like he was melting into Heero, ceasing to feel or see anything but Heero. It was like all of his senses had been completely absorbed by the man he was holding against the door. He suddenly decided that the door was not a good idea anymore and he pulled Heero up against him and away from the door.

"Huh?" Heero asked, confused.

"Bedroom?" Duo was more asking permission than asking which one. He had no clue what had gotten into him, but he did not want this to stop here.

"Yes," Heero answered. Duo groaned and kissed him again, steering them toward the bedroom. He never did figure out how they managed to make it all that way without breaking their passionate kiss, but they did. Heero's bedroom was closer, so they ended up in there.

"What are we doing, Heero? Are we insane?" Duo asked, removing Heero's shirt with one motion. He backed Heero toward the bed and moved his hands across the planes of a muscular and smooth chest.

"You tell me," Heero answered as he reached for Duo's shorts. One quick motion and he had the knit shorts pushed down to Duo's ankles. Duo's erect shaft sprung free and bounced, glistening slightly at the tip. Duo moaned as the air hit it, and groaned as Heero turned them around and pushed Duo so that he was against the bed.

Heero had never done what he was about to do. Before Duo he had not thought about doing it at all. That still did not stop him from dropping to his knees in front of Duo and taking the thick erection in his hand. A hand was buried in his hair as Duo moaned loudly. Heero was surprised that he wanted this so much. He wanted to touch that shaft and play with that head. He wanted to taste the skin and the drops of pearly liquid that had gathered at the tip.

"God, Heero!" Duo moaned as Heero's fingers tentatively touched his shaft and head, moving lightly. Those fingers felt better than almost anything as they touched him. He had never known how much he had wanted Heero to touch him. Just touch him.

"I want to touch you," Heero echoed Duo's thoughts as his head moved closer. His lips hovered just above the erect tip, breathing hot and wet breath over the velvety skin, making Duo want to arch up and thrust.

"Please!" Duo finally cried out, longing for that mouth. He had never known such need before, and it was streaking through him like white heat.

"What?" Heero asked softly as he blew softly on Duo's cock.

"Damn it!" Duo arched up and tried to find Heero's mouth, but he did not succeed.

Heero placed his hands on Duo's bare hips and pressed down, holding the squirming body in place. He lowered his mouth and finally slid it around Duo's dick.

"Fuck!" Duo gasped as he felt that hot, wet heat surround him. It moved up and down, sucking and tugging on him. He let his eyes roll back into his head as he savored the feeling spreading throughout his body.

Heero thought that Duo tasted better than he ever imagined. But he was longing to move onto something else, and he let the hardened cock go as a result after only about a minute.

Duo watched with out of focus eyes as Heero removed the last of his clothing, a longer but thinner cock just as erect as his own slapping against his skin as he slid his jeans down his legs.

"You're fucking gorgeous," Duo whispered reverently as Heero crawled up onto the bed. Duo followed, sliding his nude body against Heero's. Matching gasps and moans filled the air as bare skin and erections met, grinding and moving against each other until their movements became almost frantic.

"You're gonna hate me in the morning," Duo whispered into Heero's ear as he licked the shell with his tongue.

"Only if you're gone," Heero stated as he reached for a bedside drawer. Duo arched an eyebrow as a small jar of lubricant was pressed into his hand.

"For my own activities," Heero mumbled. Duo chuckled softly and opened the jar. The goo inside was clear and almost watery in feeling. Duo smeared it all over his fingers and then watched as Heero spread his legs beneath him.

"Is this the best position to do this in?" Duo asked.

"I have no clue. I only know that stretching is involved. Just take it slow." Heero answered.

Even though Heero was willingly offering himself up Duo saw some apprehension in his eyes. He tried his hardest to alleviate that worry by smiling and kissing Heero. It appeared that they both wanted and needed this after all. Why had they held this back for so long?

"I'm sorry if I do this wrong," Duo apologized, and reached his hand down between Heero's bent legs. Heero hissed as a finger entered him, going where no one had ever been.

"It's nothing. I'm not made of glass," Heero reminded Duo as he suddenly moved on the finger, forcing it in a little more. Duo felt the tight heat inside that tunnel and longed to feel it more fully. His cock twitched at the thought.

"We don't have to do this, Heero," Duo offered the man beneath him another out before he went further. It would kill him to stop, but he would if he needed to. This was a first for them both, and they had already gone further than either of them expected to.

"No, don't say that. We do have to. We have to do this. Damn it Duo, I want you." Heero growled. Duo took a second finger and entered it, moving quickly since Heero was now actively riding the one finger he had already submerged. That second finger was quickly followed by a third, and then Duo heard Heero start to yell.

"Oh God! So good!" Heero had been using the wall to leverage himself enough to slam down onto Duo's fingers, but now he flipped them so that Duo was pinned down. He took the jar and lubed up Duo's cock, coating it liberally as Duo moaned and reached for him.

"Heero, I need you!" Duo gasped as those strong fingers coated him. Heero straddled Duo's strong thighs and used a hand to place the head at his entrance. With one motion he eased down, stretching himself to the extreme, making him hiss in delightful pain.He felt full, and he felt like he was burning from the inside out. It hurt but in that way that made you feel like you had just scratched an itch that had been plaguing you for ages. Duo was whispering Heero's name over and over, almost like a personal mantra.

"God, Duo," Heero shuddered at the pleasure, and he began to move.

Duo found his hands resting on slim hips and gliding over amazing skin. Heero's first movements on top of him were tentative, like he was trying to figure out how best to accomplish this task. After a short amount of time he moved with more confidence, panting as he increased the pace.

Heero opened his eyes and looked down to see Duo watching him with pleasure-clouded eyes. Those normally violet eyes had lightened to an almost lavender shade, and the lids had dropped halfway down, making Duo look almost sleepy. Duo held his gaze like that as he moved. Duo was whispering and panting as Heero rode.

"Don't whisper," Heero told him in broken gasps, "I want to hear you."

The volume of Duo's voice rose, and Heero closed his eyes to absorb the naughty and wanton words Duo spoke. Duo was always so outspoken, it had almost made Heero feel empty to not hear that voice in bed. Heero could feel every nerve ending in his ass as the hard dick stroked them over and over. He reached down and grabbed one of Duo's hands.

"Touch me," he commanded as he rode. Duo firmly grasped the shaft of Heero's dick in his hand and began to move it up and down, aided only slightly by the lubricant that lingered on his fingers. Heero moaned louder and rode faster; wanting to reach his release as well as feel Duo's inside of him.

"Heero, fuck! You feel so good! Do you even know? So damn tight and hot… Damn!"

Heero felt the hand on his cock speed up, and he felt himself begin to lose control. It started down at his toes and worked its way up until he felt pressure and tightening that almost hurt. With a shout he threw his head back and came all over Duo's stomach and chest. Duo's voice climbed, and then:

"Heero! Fuck!" Duo shouted as he arched upward into Heero, spilling his hot seed into Heero's tight tunnel.

Heero collapsed onto Duo and let the softening cock ease out of him at its own pace. Warm liquid seeped out of him and onto Duo, spreading over the skin before leaking onto the sheets below them.

Duo wrapped his arms around Heero and peppered his thick hair with soft kisses. Heero eventually slid to the side and collapsed next to Duo.

"What now?" Duo asked after a while.

"Clean up. Move beds. Sleep," Heero replied softly. Duo chuckled and eased up from the bed with some effort. He held a hand out to Heero and helped him up. Heero winced as he stood.

"Sore?" Duo asked, chagrined.

"A little. I have been a lot worse though," Heero stated.

"I know," Duo agreed.

They cleaned up and climbed, nude, into Duo's bed. It was not long before they were both asleep.

&&&

_A hot mouth devouring his, kissing him until he was sure he would melt into the floor. Skin pressed against skin, and words, sweet words, whispered in the heat of passion against a kitchen sink._

_"I think I'm falling in love with you."_

Duo shot up in bed. It was a replay of the tequila night but this time it really was in his dreams. He had forgotten all about that one spoken phrase from that night. Had Heero actually said that? Did he mean it?

Duo looked down at Heero, who was currently sleeping very soundly. He looked at the alarm clock. It said that it was shortly after six in the morning. He felt warm, safe, and somehow cozy. He was no idiot; he knew that sleeping with Heero had everything to do with why he was feeling so good. Heero had just always had a way of making him feel good. So why hadn't he noticed that before now?

He lay back down and spooned up against Heero. It was his new favorite place to be. What that really meant to him he could not say. All he knew was that he did not want it to end.

'Who knows Heero? Maybe I'm falling in love with you too,' was his last thought before he drifted off once again.


	10. Hallelujah

Title: Count Me In ch 10/11

Author: WickedGame

Warnings: foul language.

Notes: Beta-ed by Adaina. I have been waiting forever to write this chapter! Chapter title courtesy Leonard Cohen.

Chapter Ten – Hallelujah

Heero heard the vidphone first. Its ring sounded shrill in the silence of the house. He looked over at Duo just as his eyes opened. Heero grabbed a pair of pajama pants from Duo's bureau, well aware of Duo's eyes on him. He jogged down the hallway and pressed the answer button on the phone.

"Yes?" he answered hoarsely.

"Heero?" Relena came on the screen, already dressed for the day.

"What time is it?" Heero asked, glancing at the edge of the vidphone screen. Almost eleven.

"Almost eleven," Relena said gently, "Heero? I am sending a car for you and Duo. Please be ready in ten minutes. We need to talk."

With that the vid feed cut off and Heero was left staring at a black screen.

Duo walked out of the bedroom and stood in the hallway, "What's up?"

"Relena is sending a car for us," Heero said as he stood.

"Do I have time to shower?"

"No. Maybe to wipe down and get dressed."

"Okay," and Duo disappeared into the bathroom.

Heero walked into his bedroom and grabbed a pair of jeans. He pulled them on and then found a t-shirt to wear. When Duo emerged from the bathroom he quickly brushed his teeth and hair.

A town car pulled up in front of the house and they walked quickly to it. The driver, a man named Donald, pulled away from the curb and set a relatively fast pace on the road.

"Mr. Yuy," Donald greeted him in the rear view mirror.

"Donald," Heero nodded pleasantly.

"I trust you have been well?"

"Tolerable. You?"

"Fine, thank you. We should be arriving soon in this traffic."

"Acceptable."

Duo was oddly silent as he looked out the window. Heero watched him, wondering what he was thinking.

Heero felt exhausted after last night, but it was almost a languorous feeling, like he just needed to take a catnap. Granted, right now it was mixed with anxiousness and anticipation, but it was there all the same.

Last night had been everything he had not expected. Duo had been gentle and passionate and had met him step for step every bit of the way. Even though he had been the one who had been on the 'bottom' he had a feeling that if it had come down to it Duo would have been on the 'bottom' just as willingly. Last night they had been so close Heero was sure they could have climbed right into each other.

But now that it was morning and they were out of the sanctuary of home Duo seemed like he was miles away and Heero hated that distance.

&&&

Dorothy was waiting for them once they reached the estate. She ushered them into a small parlor and left them alone. They sat next to each other not moving or speaking.

Relena and Hilde came in not long after, wearing stressed faces.

"Who died?" Duo asked. The girls both glared at him.

"I have some unfortunate news," Relena shared, "This morning I found out I have a spy within my household. A woman named Avery Stanson."

"Is she a newer employee?" Heero asked. He had never paid much attention to the people who took care of the house when he had lived here. He had been away far too much to even really care.

"She is. I hired her about a month ago to keep everything in the house dusted. Can you believe that I needed someone to dust everything? Rose let me know that Sophie was having trouble finding time to dust everything in addition to cleaning all the glass daily. Since Rose basically determines who needs to be hired for household I didn't question her and I helped interview Avery when she came in. The woman seemed to be knowledgeable and she had excellent references. Too bad everyone has their price," Relena stood and walked over to a window.

Hilde glanced sympathetically at Relena and then turned to the men before her. "It turns out that Avery had some suspicions about something that was happening in this house and she hid some cameras. Then, this morning, she sold the footage from those cameras."

Comprehension dawned on Heero and Duo's faces instantly.

"I am terribly sorry to have to tell you this, but there was a video that was released to the press that depicts Hilde and me in a not-so-favorable light in the eyes of the public." Relena said suddenly from the window. She walked to a small table and picked up a remote. With a click the nearest screen came on, showing a news feed video that was heavily censored.

"Shit Hilde! You got caught with your hand in the cookie jar!" Duo yelped, covering his eyes.

The screen went black again as the feed was turned off.

"Heero, Duo, I'm quite sorry to tell you this, but you were not the only ones having an affair. Hilde and I have been having one of our own for quite some time now. You two just beat us to the punch, so to speak," Relena sat down and grabbed Hilde's hand.

"I'm sorry, Duo," Hilde said softly. She actually sounded remorseful.

"We love each other very much, if that lessens the blow any. We figured out after spending a lot of time together that we just ended up with the wrong person. Not that we didn't love you in our own ways, but the person who was perfect for us had been in front of us for quite some time and we never even knew it." Relena smiled at Hilde and then turned back to Heero and Duo.

"We knew," Heero said calmly.

"You what?" Hilde asked, sounding shocked.

"Duo came across a Preventer file that had your name on it, Hilde. Preventers had wanted to know what Relena was up to, and they used photo surveillance. They followed the two of you to a hotel and then captured some pictures through a window." Heero looked down at his hands, deep in thought.

"Heero and I were never having an affair before that moment. We were never in love. We decided that it'd be better that the public latched onto us and spare you the torture, Relena. We figured that we'd been such bad husbands that the two of you deserved to be happy and peaceful. We figured that if it looked like Heero and I were the ones who had done the two of you wrong then everything would just be better for us all. When the paparazzi went away then we would go back to being friends and no one would ever know the difference," Duo continued, his voice not betraying one bit of emotion.

"But the two of you were kissing, hugging, holding each other…we were so convinced the two of you actually had feelings for one another!" Relena sounded shocked.

"All an act," Duo smirked, although the mirth didn't reach his eyes.

Hilde looked at Heero, who was still staring down at his hands. She didn't see how Duo's face was straining to smile.

'Oh no, Duo. It may have been an act to you but I think there may be someone who took it seriously.' she thought to herself.

"The point is that Hilde and I have decided to come clean with the press. The press conference is in about thirty minutes. The two of you are welcome to stay if you wish. I would actually like you to stay." Relena stood back up and everyone else followed suit.

"I actually need to get back to the house. I have some things I need to do," Heero said abruptly. Duo gave him a look that questioned him, but Heero ignored him.

"I'll stay," Duo said.

"All right. Heero, I'll send the car around the front for you." Relena left the room, and Hilde followed shortly behind. Duo turned to Heero.

"Why don't you want to stay?" Duo asked, confused.

"I just have some stuff to take care of. You stay here." Heero stepped up and impulsively kissed Duo. Without another word he turned and walked out of the room.

Duo sat down and touched his lips. Heero had seemed almost cold. That was not the Heero he had grown so used to in the past week or so. That Heero had been gone for some time now. What had happened to bring him back?

&&&

Heero stayed silent in the car. In truth his mind was going a mile a minute. It would take him all of an hour to pack up his small amount of belongings and then he could hire a cab and leave. He could leave the press behind, leave Relena and Hilde behind, and leave Duo behind.

That would be harder to do than stopping Libra from falling onto Earth, he reasoned. Duo was as much a part of him as his body, his heart, and his soul. He had a hard time even breathing when he thought about what he was about to do. But Duo had made it plainly clear that he felt the same now as he did when they started this. Duo had only used him as a warm body the previous night. Duo didn't care the way Heero wanted him to care. Duo didn't love him…

The way he loved Duo.

'Damn it.' Heero threw his head back against the seat and scowled. His best friend. The man he had depended on to watch his back, the man he had spent nights huddled up with on missions, the boy he had once shared dorm rooms with, the man who had saved his life and vice-versa; he had gone and fallen in love with the one person he was never supposed to fall in love with.

And now all he could do was take himself away from this circus and leave it all behind. Minimize the damage before it tore him apart even more.

&&&

Hilde sat down next to Duo on the sofa. She was now wearing a white linen suit that suited her coloring and figure.

"Hilde? When we were together I could hardly ever get you to wear anything but jeans and sweaters," Duo chuckled.

"You weren't Relena. She makes me want to look classier. There's nothing I wouldn't do to make her happy," Hilde fiddled with a corner of her jacket and offered Duo a small smile.

"It's okay Hilde. I don't hold it against you. I never did. At first I was a little embarrassed, but then Heero and I chalked it up to something that was bound to happen seeing as how we were never there for the two of you and you guys spent so much time together," Duo held Hilde's hand and squeezed it, "Besides, it's better for all of us, I think. You and Relena are happy, and that matters a lot. No one wants an unhappy Vice Foreign Minister after all."

"The press are swarming all over this. The only reason they are staying away from the front gates now is because there was a roadblock set up."

"We saw it on the way in," Duo told her.

"Duo?" Hilde finally got around to the reason why she had come in here.

"Yeah?"

"Are you aware that Heero is in love with you?"

Duo took a deep breath and let it out in a whoosh, "I had suspicions. He said something the other night and I thought I'd been dreaming when he said it, but then I remembered it this morning and remembered that it was not a dream. Then Relena called before I could talk to him about it."

"I hate to say it Duo, but I think you've made a huge mistake." Hilde gave Duo a sorrowful look.

"How?" Duo asked, creasing his brow.

"Replay what you said to me earlier in your mind and tell me how you would feel hearing that from someone you loved."

Duo concentrated and then played back everything he had said. After a moment Hilde saw the expression she was hoping to see: anger, disappointment, regret, and sadness.

"I basically said that I don't care about him," Duo whispered.

"Do you feel the same way about him as he does you?" Hilde asked.

"I don't know. I honestly don't know. He makes my head go all topsy-turvy. Before I even know it I'm saying and doing things I would've never done or said before. With him I can believe in things that I never felt possible. But love?" Duo shook his head in slight frustration.

"What does he make you want to do that you would otherwise never, ever do?" Hilde asked.

Duo blushed. "I'd never thought about even kissing another male. But Heero, he makes me want to taste every inch of him. I did taste every inch of him and no offense but he tasted even better than you ever did to me."

"Gee thanks, I think. Think about that then. The press conference is about to start. Come with me."

&&&

Heero turned on the television as he folded clothing and piled it into boxes. The screen showed the rose garden that he knew was right outside the breakfast room of the large house he used to live in. A relatively small table with a rose red tablecloth was sitting in front of Hilde and Relena, who were both wearing white linen suits. The members of the press would be behind the cameras.

Relena cleared her throat and began.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the press. I am going to give a small speech this morning. There will be no questions answered afterward I'm afraid, but I hope you will listen to what I have to say anyway.

Love is something people write about, talk about, sing about, and even shout about.

Love had launched ships, started wars, ended wars, and even created or ended civilizations.

Love is the most hated and the most coveted feeling in the universe.

They say love conquers all, and do you know what? It does.

I fell in love when I was young. I believe you may know the man: his name is Heero Yuy. The same is true of my partner here. She fell in love with a man named Duo Maxwell. Both of us believed that there was nothing for us but their love and so we married them. We shared our lives with them. But then something changed.

All of you did indeed see a video of Hilde and me engaging in sexual activities. Hilde Maxwell and I have been having an affair for some time now, even behind the backs of our now ex-husbands.

In order to save face for us the two of them pretended to have an affair. They drew fire away from us in order to keep the peace and save us undue heartache. They've always been great men, and they continue to be great men to this day. They will always be great men, in our eyes at least.

I think we have all learned something through this experience and that is this: love is indeed powerful. And also, love is truly blind. Love does not know time, space, intelligence or gender. You could fall in love with Mary from school or Marty from work. Love does not know anything except chance. And it was by chance that I fell in love with the wife of my husband's best friend.

To believe that our love is wrong is to believe that love is wrong in its essence. No one knows when Cupid's arrow is going to strike, or whom it is going to strike. All we can do is bless that we can even be struck by it at all.

I am aware that many people find my lifestyle to be undesirable. Some may even call it sick. But I am coming on record to say that I am in love with a woman. Deeply, wholly, irrevocably in love with this woman and I am the first United Earth Sphere politician to come out and say that I am gay. I am a lesbian, and proud of it. And come two months from now I am going to marry this woman in front of anyone who will watch, if she will have me.

I hope all of you can forgive the deception. If you feel like you have to forgive me I am truly sorry for you. But I will never apologize for following my heart. Thank you."

Heero turned off the television and taped up the box. Only two more boxes to go and then he could get out of here. The cab would be here in thirty minutes.

&&&

Hilde turned to Relena as the press was forced out by security. "Did you see Duo leave?"

"I did, out of the corner of my eye. So, what do you say, Hilde?"

"Oh! Yes, of course I'll have you. You're silly to even ask." Hilde hugged Relena and kissed her cheek.

"So, what did you and Duo talk about?" Relena asked.

"Heero's in love with him, did you know that?" Hilde queried.

"I suspected it. Does Duo love him?"

"He's not here anymore. I think it's safe to say that he realized he had someplace more important he had to be," Hilde smiled and walked into the house.


	11. I Write Sins, Not Tragedies

Title: Count Me In ch 11/11

Author: WickedGame

Warnings: Foul language. 1x2 lime.

Notes: Beta-ed by Adaina. Chapter title courtesy Panic! At the Disco.

Chapter Eleven – I Write Sins, Not Tragedies

Duo practically leaped out of the car when it hit the curb in front of his house. How could he have been so crass? He had taken off in the middle of Relena's speech after coming to his big epiphany about the way he felt. Hilde must have known it would hit him sometime. Now he not only had something he had to do but he had someone he owed an apology to.

Heero had been sitting there with him waiting for Duo to say something, anything to reassure him that Duo felt the same way and Duo had said nothing. Duo had screwed up and he only hoped he could make it up to Heero before things got too bad between them.

He had sat there and listened to Relena speak while thinking on what Hilde said at the same time. Relena was right, love is blind and he had been the most blind out of all of them. Heero had been trying to tell him without words how much he cared and he had done nothing to let Heero know that he cared at all. Shortly after that moment he had left the estate.

When he opened the door Heero was standing amongst a small pile of boxes.

"What the hell are you doing?" Duo asked, stalking toward him.

"We don't have to pretend to be lovers anymore, so I'm going to leave," Heero said calmly, not looking Duo in the eye.

"The hell you are!" Duo shouted. He grabbed Heero and pulled him into a hug.

"Please let me go, Duo," Heero said hoarsely.

"No. Not now, not ever," Duo insisted.

Heero closed his eyes and wanted to give up, but he used his strength to worm his way out of Duo's grasp instead.

"Don't pretend to care now," Heero told him.

Outside a horn beeped.

"My taxi is here," Heero started to grab a box. Duo watched dumbly from where he stood for a second before he sprang into action and knocked the box away.

"Two nights ago you told me you were falling in love with me. Do you remember that?"

Heero's eyes widened. He did not want to remember what he had said while Duo was drunk and touching him, but he did.

"I thought you didn't remember a whole lot of that night."

"I remembered it this morning, while I still had my arms wrapped around you," Duo said softly, his eyes burning.

Heero shuddered at the remembered feeling of being in bed with Duo, but he still made to pick up a box. "So what? You made it pretty clear that even if I did love you that you didn't return that feeling, so I'm moving on."

"Why? Why are you givin' up?" Duo asked.

"I can't stop wanting you. I can't stop wanting to touch you, kiss you, and hold you. You make me want things. I'm not going to be your fucktoy so I'm leaving," Heero walked toward the door when he heard the beeping again.

"Do you love me?" Duo asked, his voice fragile.

Without turning around Heero muttered in the affirmative.

"What if it wasn't pretend? What if you weren't my fucktoy? What if…I loved you too?"

Heero's hand stopped on the doorknob. "Don't fuck with me. I don't deserve it no matter how you feel."

Duo came up behind Heero and wrapped his arms around that slim waist. "I'm not fucking with you. I'm sorry it took me so long to see it. I'm sorry I didn't feel it as soon as you did. I'm sorry everything happened the way that it did. It took me so long to figure out that you made me feel the way Relena makes Hilde feel.

When Relena was giving her speech all I could think about was how it all applied to you and me. Right before you left me there you had changed and I didn't like it. You were cold, distant, and aloof all of a sudden. All I could think about was about how much I missed you, even for the short amount of time you were gone. I missed your laugh, your smile, the way you hold my hand, the way you kiss me…I finally figured it out right then that you make me want to be better. You make me want to be something more than I am."

When Heero was silent in response Duo started to lose hope. He lowered his mouth to Heero's ear. "Please don't leave me. I love you."

Heero closed his eyes and lowered his head. Tears threatened to fall but didn't. He absently heard the taxi drive away without him in it. Endless moments passed before he could find the power to speak. The words resonated in the room and in his ears.

"I'll stay."

Duo turned him around and kissed him: gently at first, and then more urgently as time passed. When they finally made it to Heero's bedroom they disrobed each other slowly, kissing and sucking on every inch of exposed skin. As Heero took Duo for the first time they were slow, gentle, and intense, making love with reverence. They felt like they had all the time in the world for once. Their sentiments and noises grew in volume until the end, when Duo finally screamed his love for Heero as he came.

"See? This is real," Duo said as he kissed Heero's chest, "This is permanent. This is right. It feels right."

Heero smiled at Duo and kissed the top of his head, "I know."

&&&

-Two Months Later-

No one that knew the four of them was surprised when Hilde and Relena asked Duo and Heero to stand with them at their wedding.

The wedding of the Vice Foreign Minister to a former soldier and scrap yard dealer had indeed caused an uproar. Quite a few politicians had even tried to have Relena ousted from office. But the public was largely behind her. She already held their hearts, and Hilde had won them over easily with her charm and wit when dealing with the public. In the end the government had been forced to state their support of Relena and Hilde. Everyone except the gossip-hungry press basically left them alone after that.

A few select members of the press were around today, hand selected to take pictures of the wedding and reception. Hilde and Relena had both decided on tea length white dresses. Hilde's had a suit jacket and looked almost tomboyish. Relena's, however, was the epitome of femininity, with lace and ruffles and little matching gloves. Hilde had rolled her eyes but had smiled brightly anyway. It was no secret that she adored Relena even if she were wearing a paper bag.

Relena and Hilde had been ecstatic to hear that their ex-husbands had made up. They had even given them a present before the wedding: two tickets to a private island in the tropics. They expected the pair of men to go away and stay away from everyone and everything for a couple of weeks before returning to work at the office.

They planned to do just that. It was the best plan they had heard yet.

Heero walked over to a table where Duo sat talking to Wufei and Sally.

"Good evening Yuy," Wufei said politely.

"Wufei, Sally, nice to see you both," Heero nodded his head at the pair.

"Congratulations Heero. I always knew you and Duo would make a great couple," Sally teased. Wufei rolled his eyes at her.

"Thank you," Heero told her sincerely.

"Sally was telling me about how she and Chang here are going to have another kid," Duo smiled and reached for Heero's hand.

"Congratulations to the two of you," Heero smiled a genuine smile of happiness for his two friends.

"Thanks," Sally said with a smile.

"What's up Heero?" Duo asked as Heero pulled him out of the chair.

"Come dance with me," Heero ordered.

"We never dance in front of our friends. Except for that one time with Q and T at that one night club with the leather booths…" Duo's voice trailed off as Heero pulled him close.

The slow music relaxed Duo and he placed his chin on Heero's shoulder.

"Duo?"

"Hmmm?"

"Do you think that we could do what Hilde and Relena did?"

Duo lifted his chin. Did Heero sound nervous?

"Which thing that they did?"

"Get married."

Duo smiled at Heero and kissed him lightly; dismissing the catcalls from people they knew in the background. It seemed that Heero's brain was already generating a new plan for their relationship and Duo braced to hang on for the wild ride.

"Hey Heero, you know what? If you're game then count me in." Duo smiled brightly and his eyes twinkled with mirth.

"Really?" Heero asked; looking a little shocked that Duo had agreed.

"Heero buddy, you can bet on it."

-The End-


End file.
